Chelsea to start new Premier League season without shirt sponsor again with search hampered by lack of Champions League

CHELSEA appear set to start the Premier League season without a shirt sponsor for a second successive year.

The Blues have yet to line up a deal with just seven days left until the big kick-off.

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Chelsea launched their new away kit last month, with Nicolas Jackson, Malo Gusto, Noni Madueke, Tosin Adarabioyo and Mykhailo Mudryk in San Jose[/caption]

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Reece James and Co donned shirts with Infinite Athlete in the USA[/caption]

The club had previous sponsor Infinite Athlete on their tops for their pre-season US tour and will do so again when Inter Milan visit Stamford Bridge for the final warm-up game on Sunday.

But Prem rules mean the Blues are unlikely to continue with that once they open their top-flight campaign at home to Manchester City on Sunday week.

Top-flight regulations state clubs can only have one shirt sponsor during the course of a season, although one change is permitted for a single match-day each each for clubs to promote a charity partner.

An alteration is also permitted in the exceptional circumstances of a club sponsor experiencing financial problems and being unable to honour their contract.

However, that’s unlikely to apply to any deal Chelsea can put together.

To complicate matters, the club have an arrangement for Infinite Athlete to become their shirt sleeve sponsor this season.

Chelsea still hope to secure a more lucrative contract for the front of their shirt.

The Blues spent the first six weeks of last term without a shirt sponsor before agreeing a one-year deal worth £40million with Infinite Athlete in September.

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With the company switching to a sleeve deal, the club’s existing partner – cryptocurrency exchange BingX – have become Chelsea’s training kit sponsor.

The Blues’ search for a main sponsor has been dented by their failure to qualify for the Champions League, with participation in the Europa Conference League less attractive to global companies.

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It means Chelsea are tipped to end up with another short-term contract – in the hope of getting a better deal for the following campaign if Enzo Maresca takes Chelsea back into the Champions League.

The Blues and Infinite Athlete declined to comment.

Chelsea’s struggle to find a shirt deal contrasts with their hectic activity on the transfer front.

Now Wolves winger Pedro Neto is poised to become the NINTH summer arrival at Stamford Bridge.

The Athletic reckon Chelsea will pay £54million plus £2.5m in add-ons for the Portugal star.

Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley, Filip Jorgensen and Estevao Willian have already come in.

Neto’s move is expected to be confirmed within days, once the 24-year-old completes a medical.