Chelsea to double kit partnership revenue with Nike deal

Chelsea has agreed a lucrative new partnership with sportswear supplier Nike that is worth £60m (€77m/$86m) per year, according to various reports.

The agreement is worth double Chelsea’s existing £30m-per-year deal with sportswear provider Adidas. The Adidas agreement will be curtailed six years early, at the end of the 2016-17 season, with Chelsea paying £40m in compensation.

The length of the Nike deal, which will begin at the start of the 2017-18 season, has not been disclosed.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia reportedly negotiated the new Nike sponsorship after sealing a £40m-per-year partnership with tyre company Yokohama and a £10m-per-year training kit deal with energy drinks brand Carabao.

Premier League club Manchester United still have the most lucrative kit deal in Europe – a £75m-per-season agreement with Adidas.

The Diario Ara newspaper said that Nike is also set to extend a partnership with Spanish Liga club Barcelona in the coming weeks that will be worth as much as €100m per season.