Chelsea in talks with former Barcelona sponsors to secure front-of-shirt deal: Reports
Chelsea are in talks with Qatar Airlines to become their next front-of-shirt sponsors, according to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol. The Blues are currently wearing sponsorless shirts, a repeat feature from the last campaign.
The London giants also started the 2023/24 campaign without a shirt sponsor and played eight games before striking a deal with Infinite Athlete. The sports technology company, however, only agreed a short-term deal with the club.
While it was extended to cover pre-season, they are unlikely to make a return this campaign. Instead, Chelsea are now in talks with Qatar Airlines, as well as two other major airlines to take over the job.
Any deal is likely to be a short-term one, as was the case with Infinite Athlete, and is likely to match the £40m offered by the sports technology company last year.
Qatar Airlines famously sponsored Barcelona shirts from 2013 to 2017, becoming a household name thanks to the Catalans' immense success. While the report doesn't name the other two candidates in the running, they are believed to be Riyadh Air and Turkish Airlines, as per Sportico's Lukasz Baczek.
Qatar Airlines are well versed in football advertising, having recently struck a £70m deal with UEFA. However, given Chelsea's lack of Champions League football, the Blues are unlikely to secure such a robust deal.
Could Chelsea secure a top-4 finish this season?
Chelsea parted ways with Mauricio Pochettino this summer following an underwhelming 2023/24 campaign. The Blues finished sixth in the Premier League, but missed out on a Europa League place following Manchester United's FA Cup triumph.
The London giants roped in Enzo Maresca as the Argentinean's replacement and invested heavily in the squad once again this summer. A new shirt sponsor, as such, could also help them adhere to the Premier League's new Profit and Sustainability Rules.
Any deal with Qatar Airways is likely to be a short-term one. Chelsea are aware that they cannot secure a big-money proposal due to their lack of Champions League football and would ideally like to return to the premier European tournament next season.
As such, a top-four finish could be pivotal for the Blues this season. Maresca, meanwhle, has registered a mixed start to the new campaign. His team have three wins and one defeat from their first five games in the league.
The Italian will be aware of the recent lack of patience at Stamford Bridge and may have to finish within the top four, and secure a trophy, to keep his job.