The under-wraps Castore kit deal that has got Newcastle United fans talking

Andy Murray wore an innovative merino wool outfit for his epic Centre Court battle with Oscar Otte.

The tennis player launched AMC, his own clothing range, in partnership with “premium” sportswear company Castore in two years ago. AMC stands for Andy Murray x Castore, and the 34-year-old helped design each piece.

"I work with the AMC designers on every piece, with technical performance at the heart of the process,” said the former Wimbledon champion. "It's important that the kit performs under the toughest conditions.”

Certainly, Castore, founded in Liverpool by brothers Tom and Philip Beahon in 2015, have been busy recently.

The firm, which has moved its headquarters to Manchester, has announced deals with Wolverhampton Wanderers and F1 team McLaren – and more tie-ups are set to be confirmed. It already supplies Scottish Premiership champions Rangers.

One of those deals concerns Newcastle United whose kit deal with Puma has expired. Castore is set to be confirmed as the club’s new kit supplier following months of speculation, though the deal and next season’s kits have been shrouded in secrecy.

And fans are waiting to see Castore’s take on the classic black and white stripes.

The firm, which claims it’s looking to bring a “new level of performance to men’s sportswear”, isn’t looking to go “head to head” with the likes of Puma and Adidas.

“The founding ambition was very much not to go head to head with Nike, Adidas, Puma – we always thought that would be difficult,” said Tom, who played for Tranmere Rovers until he was 21. “The long-term ambition is to become the number one premium sportswear brand in the global market.”

Castore’s soon-to-be-announced deal with Newcastle will further elevate the ambitious brand, which aims to “push the boundaries of sportswear innovation” and give athletes an competitive “edge”.

The club shop will get a Castore makeover, and the firm will also open a store in Monument Mall premises owned by David and Simon Reuben – who were part of the consortium that agreed a £300million deal for Newcastle last year – later this month.

What fans want to know now is just what kind of kit will fill those stores.

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