Chelsea could finally be close to landing a new shirt sponsor after playing just under half of the 2024/25 season without branding on the front of their kits.
Amid major upheaval following the club's takeover in 2022, Chelsea have begun two consecutive campaigns without a front-line shirt sponsor. While the shirt may have a 'cleaner' look without a logo or company name on the front, the club is missing out on revenue.
For reference, Manchester United's current deal with Qualcomm, which features the company's Snapdragon branding on shirts, is thought to be worth £300m over five years until 2029.
Chelsea entered into a £40m short-term partnership with Infinite Athlete for a few weeks in 2023/24. But no new partner was found for this campaign and the Blues continued to play in plain shirts.
The Daily Mail explains that Chelsea officials believed they could get better offers than they received in the summer, with that patience potentially paying off now that the Blues have climbed back up the Premier League table.
As many as five companies are said to be "on the lookout" for a deal, with Chelsea described as "close to announcing" a new primary shirt sponsor. No names were given, but the Mail report said three airlines and two technology companies were involved.
Emirates and Etihad Airways are already represented in Premier League in Arsenal and Manchester City. But more than half (11) of the top 20 top-flight clubs this season still feature bookmakers, even with a collective agreement to withdraw gambling sponsors from the front of their match kits from the start of 2026/27.
Chelsea's memorable shirt sponsors over the past 30 years have included Coors, Autoglass, Emirates and Samsung.
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