Chelsea have announced a new £60 million-a-year sponsorship deal with Nike, the “largest commercial deal in the club’s history”, after severing ties with Adidas six years early.
The new deal is worth double the current agreement with Adidas, after confirmation of the early termination came last week, and will cover kits for the first team, ladies team and youth outfits.
Roman Abramovich’s close confidant and Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia was involved in setting up the new arrangement and gave a rare statement upon announcing the agreement.
“This is an incredibly exciting and important deal for the club,” Granovskaia said. “Like Chelsea, Nike is known around the world for its excellence and innovation and we look forward to working together in what is sure to be a successful partnership.”
“We believe Nike will be able to support our growth into new markets as well as helping us maintain our place among the world’s elite football clubs.”
Nike will join Yokohama and Carabao as brands on the Blues’ famous shirt and the club could stand to make a combined £110m per year from their shirt deals alone, with only Manchester United boasting a more lucrative shirt sponsor.
Manchester City are the only Premier League club currently associated with the sportswear giant as they aim to claw back some of the market share from their rivals Adidas, and Trevor Edwards, president of the Nike Brand, welcomed the latest announcement.
“Chelsea is a world-class club with a rich tradition and passionate fans across the globe” added Edwards. “The partnership with Chelsea reinforces our leadership position in football. We are excited to help grow the club’s global reach, serving players and supporters with Nike innovation and design.”
