Chelsea will unveil their new kit on Monday without a front-of-shirt sponsor.
The west London side had been in talks with gambling firm Stake, who also have deals with Everton and Watford, but fans were vocal in their opposition to that potential deal and nothing was agreed upon.
Previously, Chelsea had agreed a deal with U.S. streaming service Paramount Plus. That, though, was rejected by the Premier League due to concerns it could cause problems with the league’s broadcast partners.
Chelsea had hoped to complete a deal with Paramount Plus, but this was judged to not be permitted under the Deed of License – the contract between clubs and the Premier League, which covers matters including broadcasting and commercial deals.
Sky Sports, BT Sport (soon to be TNT Sports) and Amazon Prime are the Premier League’s current broadcast partners in the UK, and the league has a TV deal with NBC Sports in the U.S.
Talks with other potential partners are ongoing but the launch will go ahead without a front-of-shirt sponsor, as reported by the Daily Mail. There has not yet been any news of Chelsea’s sleeve sponsor after previous partners Whalefin pulled out of its agreement with the Premier League side.
The Creative Artists Agency is leading the process to secure Chelsea a new sponsor, with the club expecting a deal to be done before the start of the season on August 13.
Chelsea have been seeking a new front-of-shirt sponsor after their three-year deal with telecommunications network 3 UK expired at the end of last season. Before that, Japanese firm Yokohama Tires had sponsored the west London club.
Chelsea are one of five Premier League teams not to release a kit ahead of the new season. None of the newly-promoted trio of Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley have, as well as Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. Forest’s launch, though, is planned for next week
If that's gonna be the case, I'll be so envious of Chelsea fans. Would kill to be able to buy a kit without a sponsor!