Chelsea ended their kit deal with Adidas due to a perceived favouritism and prioritising of other clubs, including Premier League rivals Manchester United, according to reports.
Both parties announced on Tuesday that the sponsorship deal would end at the end of the 2016/17 season, six years earlier than was originally contracted.
The Daily Mail report that the Blues had grown frustrated at the lack of effort the German manufacturers were putting into their partnership with the club, choosing to focus their attention on other clients such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus.
In addition to the lack of attention the west Londoners were receiving, the fact that Manchester United are receiving £75 million a season from Adidas compared to Chelsea’s £30m deal frustrated the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.
To get out of the long-term deal Chelsea are said to be parting with £40m, but they will expect to make this back relatively swiftly as they seek out a new £50m-per-year deal with a new manufacturer.
Nike and Uniqlo are thought to be in the frame to fill the void, but with the former the situation is complicated by Chelsea’s local rivals Tottenham being on the verge of completing a new sponsorship deal with the firm themselves.
Chelsea’s power at the negotiating table may be lessened by the fact the club will miss out on European football next season for the first time in the Roman Abramovich area.
However, with new manager Antonio Conte set to start work at the club in July and stars such as Eden Hazard beginning to show some of the form that propelled Chelsea to the Premier League’s summit last season, the Londoners remain an attractive prospect for sponsors.
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