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Chelsea to wear blank shirts for the whole season? Infinite Athlete sponsorship deal could be blocked by Premier League

  • Chelsea currently without shirt sponsor
  • Contract with mobile phone company Three expired
  • Premier League looking at Infinite Athlete deal

WHAT HAPPENED? There are serious question marks surrounding Chelsea's bid to have 'Infinite Athlete' sponsor their shirts for the near future, according to the Daily Mail. The company was created just a week before the Blues entered discussions with them and the Premier League are investigating whether the deal will abide by their 'fair market value' rules. The company's estimated turnover is £12 million ($15m) a year with the deal set to be worth around £40m ($51m) to Chelsea.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: One of Infinite's major investors is a firm called Silver Lake who also have ties to another company called Fanatics. That company has received millions of dollars worth of investment from Clearlake Capital - who backed the consortium who took over Chelsea following Roman Abramovich's departure.

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Todd Boehly Chelsea 2023-24Getty

WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? They'll be hoping that the Premier League don't find anything untoward in this prospective deal. On the pitch, they take on West Ham on Sunday.

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