ICM Stellar Sports has boosted its US sports presence with the acquisition of NFL agency Select Sports Group.

The move brings some 70 NFL athletes, coaches and executives under the ICM Stellar umbrella, including the 2019 overall first draft pick, quarterback Kyler Murray.

Speaking about the move, ICM Stellar Sports Executive Chairman Jonathan Barnett said there would be many more expansions into the American market to come.

Jonathan added: “It’s something that excites me. The NBA will be next. We are not stopping. We are growing.

“This is one of the big reasons we aligned with ICM Partners, to make bold acquisitions with the goal of becoming the world’s Number 1 sports agency, not just in soccer, but across all sports, while offering a full array of services for what the modern athlete requires and deserves.”

The deal will see Select co-founders Erik Burkhardt and Jeff Nalley join ICM Stellar and work alongside our existing NFL team headed by Reggie Johnson, which was founded in 2017 and has already built up a NFL client list including quarterback Jameis Winston and safety Xavier McKinney.

ICM Partners’ Managing Partner Ted Chervin said: “This is a big step forward for us. It was important to us to augment what we were already doing with Reggie. This is a big statement demonstrating our seriousness about sports.”

Select’s Jeff Nalley said it was the reputation and global reach of ICM Stellar and ICM Partners that persuaded him and partner Erik Burkhardt to let the acquisition go forward.

Speaking to the Sports Business Journal, Jeff added that his admiration Jonathan Barnett also played its part. He added: “He’s the No. 1 agent in the world and we are really excited about what we can learn from him. Obviously he’s the GOAT (the greatest of all time) in soccer, but he wants to know about the NFL.”