Chelsea ready to agree £40m deal soon after Sky journalist’s reveal – sources
Chelsea are looking to agree a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal quickly after opening talks with several major airlines, sources have told Football Insider.
The London giants have started the new season without a primary shirt sponsor for the second consecutive campaign after their deal with Infinite Athlete expired.
Chelsea struck a £40million-a-year deal with the US-based sports data company in September last year, but the agreement has not continued into this campaign.
Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol reported on 24 September the west London club are in talks with Qatar Airways and two other airlines about becoming their new front-of-shirt sponsor.
Sources have told Football Insider Chelsea have been in contact with Riyadh Air and Turkish Airlines, but the negotiations have not reached the final stages with any of the interested parties.
Stamford Bridge chiefs have been forced to lower their asking price from £50million to £40million and that fee could continue to decrease the longer they go without a deal in place.
Chelsea hampered by failure to qualify for Champions League
Chelsea’s ability to land a lucrative front-of-shirt deal has been hampered by the fact they are not playing Champions League football again this season.
Football Insider revealed on 16 August missing out on a place in the Champions League and failing to agree a shirt deal could cost the club more than £100million.
Enzo Maresca’s side are set to feature in the Conference League after finishing sixth in the Premier League under Mauricio Pochettino last season.
Football Insider revealed on 18 September Chelsea will land just over £20million if they win the third-tier European trophy in Wroclaw, Poland, next May.
But Stamford Bridge chiefs’ primary focus over the coming weeks remains around striking a front-of-shirt deal as they continue to negotiate with several parties.
Sources have told Football Insider shirt sponsorship makes up almost 10 per cent of Chelsea’s revenue and they won’t give up on agreeing a new deal easily.
The West Londoners reported a club-record revenue of £512.5million in their latest accounts for 2022-23, but that could have decreased last season due to their lack of European football.
In other news, Chelsea hit by Tottenham blow in stadium twist – Expert.
For more Chelsea news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.