Chelsea tipped to strike late £40m deal – Keith Wyness
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness expects Chelsea to revive their front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Infinite Athlete if the club can’t land a “big whale of a sponsor”.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted the Blues will want to get money in the coffers after a challenging year financially at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are at risk of starting the 2024-25 campaign with no front-of-shirt sponsor for a second successive campaign after their deal with Infinite Athlete expired.
The company were on the front of shirts last season, paying £40million for the privilege, but are now set to feature on the shirt sleeve instead.
Chelsea tipped to revive £40m Infinite Athlete deal, says Wyness
Chelsea have been searching for a new main shirt sponsor but their search is yet to bear fruit – with Infinite Athlete featuring prominently on kits in pre-season.
Wyness told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “I don’t know all the detail.
“But I would do what it appears Chelsea have done now.
“They set a number for sponsorship that they want to achieve, but if they don’t get it – then Infinite Athlete are the second cab off the rank and will pay a lower amount.
“Infinite are probably putting more pressure on right now. Rather than having no sponsor, it makes sense for Chelsea to continue that relationship – until they land a bigger sponsor.
“They’ll get a lot of publicity and coverage during pre-season – it should be a win-win for both parties.
“If they don’t get the big whale of a sponsor, I’m expecting Infinite Athlete to come in on the shirt rather than leaving it open.
“They’ll want to get whatever price they can in the Chelsea coffers.”
In other news, Chelsea owners bankroll £175m injection – official documents filed.
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