Arsenal have agreed a new partnership with Universal Pictures that could see the club’s players appear in promotional videos for the latest blockbuster films.

The deal will see Arsenal promote a number of the film company’s upcoming releases, including Despicable Me 3. Replicas of the stars of that movie – Minions – have already been involved in promotional activity at the Emirates, where they were paraded on the pitch ahead of the final game of the season.

“This partnership with Illumination and Universal Pictures is the first of its kind for the club and one we are extremely excited about,” said Vinai Venkatesham, Arsenal’s chief commercial officer.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for both the club and the studio to be introduced to new audiences and we are already working closely with them to engage with our supporters in the UK and Ireland around their upcoming film releases.”

Star names such as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil could – if they are still at Arsenal – even be asked to take part in unique content or promotional videos for movies.

Arsenal are not the first team to agree such a partnership, with Manchester United having had a deal with 20th Century Fox that has seen Wayne Rooney appear in a trailer for X:Men Apocalypse and mascots painted blue for promotional activity, neither of which were well-received by the general public.

Universal have also been working on a documentary film about Arsenal’s famous 1989 league title win at Anfield.