Exclusive: Chelsea land £10m windfall after sponsor deal agreed
Chelsea’s new sleeve sponsorship deal is worth close to £10million, sources have told Football Insider.
Football Insider revealed on 19 September Chelsea were looking to agree a £15m-a-year deal after starting the season without a sleeve sponsor.
However, Enzo Maresca’s side confirmed on Wednesday (22 October) they have now agreed a deal with FPT corporation for the remainder of this season.
The Vietnam-based technology solutions provider will see its logo feature on the club’s men’s, women’s and academy kits.
Sports business expert Lukasz Baczek exclusively revealed to Football Insider FPT has agreed to pay Chelsea close to £10m for the campaign.
Chelsea plan to agree £15m sponsor deal
Chelsea agreed a deal worth up to £8m in the summer of 2024 for Fever’s logo to appear on the club’s sleeves last season before the deal was terminated last December due to the company’s financial issues.
Live Nation then agreed to replace Fever as the sleeve sponsor, but the partnership didn’t continue beyond the Club World Cup, leaving the Blues searching for another deal.
Chelsea had been in talks with the Haier Group – a Chinese manufacturing company – about their sleeve sponsorship before negotiations stalled between the two parties last month.
Although a deal has now been agreed with FPT, Baczek revealed the London giants are still looking for a long-term partner to agree a £15m-a-year deal for their sleeve sponsorship.
It comes after Chelsea confirmed their new business leadership team following the departure of chief revenue officer Casper Stylsvig last month.
Todd Kline is now the president of commercial, Phil Lynch is the new chief digital officer and James Murray has been promoted to chief operating officer, with all three reporting to president Jason Gannon.
Chelsea could be about to agree shirt sponsor deal
Maresca’s side have also started the season without a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal, having failed to land a long-term partnership over the past couple of years.
Chelsea have set a £60m asking price for their shirt sponsorship after holding talks with various parties in recent months.
The Blues’ last major front-of-shirt deal came in the 2023-24 campaign when Infinite Athlete agreed to pay £40m for a single season.
Chelsea announced a short-term deal in April for DAMAC to appear on the front of their shirts for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign, but it was never the intention for the partnership to be extended into this season.
However, Chelsea could be about to agree a new shirt deal after The Athletic reported on Wednesday the club’s thorough process to find a sponsor is “nearing a conclusion”.
The news outlet added there are now less than a handful of discussions taking place with companies, with the talks “very advanced” and a decision expected in the “near term”.
Chelsea’s latest published accounts for 2023-24 revealed their turnover fell from £512m in 2022-23 to £468m despite their commercial revenue increasing from £210m to £225m across the same period.
For more Chelsea and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.