Keith Wyness: Chelsea could agree £25m Saudi off-pitch deal after talks latest

Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness has backed Chelsea to strike a £25million front-of-shirt sponsorship deal.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air must be considered the “hot favourite” to strike an agreement.

Sports business expert Lukasz Baczek reported earlier this month (19 December) that Chelsea are in talks with several companies over shirt sponsorship and a deal could be agreed in the next few weeks.

He claimed Stamford Bridge chiefs expecting a fee in the region of £20-25million for the remainder of this term.

Chelsea started the 2024-25 campaign without a primary shirt sponsor for the second consecutive season after the expiry of their £40million deal with Infinite Athlete in the off-season.

Riyadh Air ‘hot favourite’ to strike Chelsea sponsorship deal, says Wyness

Wyness claimed the Blues should be able to get their asking price if they can offer the right opportunities to prospective sponsors.

He told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “I think they could still get that £25m figure.

“They’re in a fashionable area, on the way to Heathrow – there’s still a London premium with these deals.

“I think they can get that kind of money, but they’ve got to be able to deliver more than just the visibility on the shirt.

“Sponsors need a lot of activation opportunities these days. I don’t know what shape Chelsea’s database is in, I don’t know what they can offer.

“There has to be a lot more, and sponsors are quite demanding.

“In basic terms, Chelsea should be able to get that kind of money.

“I still think it’s going to be an airline. Riyadh Air have got to be a hot favourite, they are already with Atletico.

“They launched in March, I think, and they are going to be big spenders.

“It’s a big new airline with some serious backing from the Saudi government. That’s one possibility, with Chelsea’s proximity to Heathrow.”

In other news, Chelsea fans can’t believe what Cole Palmer did in new footage.

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