James to join forces with Van Dijk as agencies announce new deal

ROOF Agency have been bought by the United Talent Agency (UTA) alongside the American sports agency Klutch Sports Group (KLUTCH).

This will see the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane, Kai Havertz, Serge Gnabry, Harvey Elliott, Ademola Lookman and Tammy Abraham join forces with the likes of LeBron James, Jalen Hurts, Rafael Devers and Aja Wilson.

Managing director of ROOF Neil Fewings said: “We are delighted to join forces with Rich, Andrew, and their team on this groundbreaking partnership.

“The unique identity and ideology of KLUTCH / UTA makes this a perfect cultural fit with great mutual synergies that will allow us to collaborate on a global scale.”

“We could not be more energised by this opportunity to work with KLUTCH and UTA,” said ROOF co-founder and managing director Bjorn Bezemer. “This exciting partnership gives us access to industry-leading resources and expertise to better serve our clients and broaden our reach globally.

“With ROOF partners becoming shareholders in one of the most transformational agencies in global sports and entertainment, we are excited to bring our industry-leading football representation to this team.”

Through this partnership, ROOF is set to expand its market position in the global football market and integrate with KLUTCH to reimagine the landscape of representation for a new generation of top football stars.

ROOF will continue to operate under the ROOF name and leadership, serving as an important piece of the global sports platform led by UTA Sports co-heads Rich Paul and Andrew Thau.

Paul said: “Football is the most global and popular sport on the planet, and in charting our path into the game, we’ve searched for a partner who aligns with KLUTCH’s values and takes a similar client-first approach.

“It was clear very early on that ROOF was the perfect fit; our agencies share the same philosophy, passion and professional approach to representing the world’s best athletes.

“Together we look forward to bringing new energy to the beautiful game and its athletes through the lens of empowerment, storytelling and forward thinking.”

(Top photos: Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)