Nike deal to provide Chelsea with £900m windfall

Chelsea are expected to make £900m (€998m) after striking a new kit and clothing deal with Nike.

The Premier League club announced in May they would be ending a partnership with adidas six years early, at the end of June 2017.

That deal with the German sportswear firm was said to be worth a reported £30m (€33.2m) each year.

It is understood the new contract is for 15 years and worth £60m (€66m) annually to Chelsea.

It lifts Chelsea closer to the top of the market in kit deals agreed by the world’s leading sides.

Manchester United’s deal 10-year deal with adidas, which started for the 2015-16 season, is worth £750m (€831.6m).

Spanish giants Barcelona are reported to receive £120m (€133m) a year from their agreement with Nike.

In a statement on Chelsea’s website, the latest contract is described as “a new technical partnership with Nike, which represents the largest commercial deal in the club’s history”.

It was announced minutes before speculation began to surround Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, as bookmakers cut the odds on him becoming the next Premier League manager to lose his job, and in some cases refused to take any more bets.

Chelsea were understood to be dismissive of talk of the Italian leaving Stamford Bridge. Conte only joined Chelsea in the summer.

The Nike deal may yet strengthen Conte’s hand in the transfer market next summer.

As part of the partnership which starts for the 2017/2018 season, Nike will supply kits for the Chelsea first team and also the academy and ladies sides.

On the pitch, Willian is expected to miss Chelsea’s Premier League clash with champions Leicester tomorrow on compassionate leave following the death of his mother.

The Brazil playmaker wrote a poem in his native Portuguese in tribute to his mother on Instagram yesterday after her death, reportedly of cancer.