Chelsea and Sunderland are set to begin the 2026-27 Premier League season without a main shirt sponsor.
Chelsea say lengthy talks are standard for front-of-shirt deals, citing Manchester United’s TeamViewer agreement as one of the few comparable partnerships that also took time to finalize.
The club’s uneven results have hurt its commercial appeal. Chelsea had banked on regular Champions League qualification but have fallen short, complicating efforts to secure top-tier sponsorship income.
While a £65m annual fee has been floated by some in the industry, Chelsea are believed to be targeting closer to £50m–£55m per season—an amount harder to achieve without Champions League exposure.
The Sponsor’s fair market value index estimates Chelsea’s projected front-of-shirt worth dropped from £50.3m to £33.6m at the end of last season.
Chelsea remain focused on a premium, long-term deal to protect the club’s overall valuation, even though accepting a lower-priced agreement would provide short-term financial relief.
Complicating matters, the club’s 15-year, £900m Nike kit contract—about £60m per season—is now seen as below market compared with leading European clubs. As a result, Chelsea are proceeding carefully and continue to wear blank shirts.
This will be the fourth straight season the Blues start without a front-of-shirt sponsor. Last season, IFS came on board for the final three months, following similar short-term arrangements in recent campaigns with Infinite Athlete and Damac.
Sunderland, meanwhile, are still seeking a new front-of-shirt partner after their deal with gambling firm W88 ended. From this season, the Premier League bars gambling companies from serving as primary front-of-shirt sponsors.
In July, the Sunderland Echo reported the club expects to confirm a new partner in due course, though talks are ongoing. BBC Sport understands Sunderland believe their value has risen ahead of their first European campaign in more than 50 years and are holding out for a deal that reflects that.