Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 6y

Chelsea aiming to step up commercial agreements over next decade

Chelsea are aiming to double their revenues by signing a raft of new sponsorship deals over the next 10 years, the club's commercial director has revealed.

The Premier League champions were ranked the eighth-richest club in world football in the most recent edition of the Deloitte Money League, having earned £163.1 million from commercial agreements and £334.6m in total over the course of the 2015-16 season.

Manchester United, ranked first, earned total revenues of £515.3m and £272.1m in commercial income, while fifth-ranked Manchester City also fared better than Chelsea. In an interview with the Financial Times, new commercial director Chris Townsend signalled the Blues' intent to close the gap on their domestic rivals.

"Over the next seven to 10 years we want to be a top four or top five club in Europe [by revenues], rather than ranked eighth," he said.

"Manchester United, Manchester City and others have anywhere between 50 and 70 [sponsors]. We plan to focus on more premium brands in a far more limited range of categories."

Chelsea have vastly increased their commercial revenue with several key sponsorship deals in recent years.

In 2016 the Blues agreed a 15-year kit deal with Nike worth £900m, while Japanese tyre company Yokohama and Thai energy drinks maker Carabao pay £50m and £10m per season to sponsor the club's shirt and training gear respectively.

Matchday revenue is one area in which Chelsea have fallen behind their rivals, limited by the 41,631 capacity of Stamford Bridge. Earlier this year planning approval was granted for a £500m redevelopment of the stadium into a 60,000-seater arena, though construction will not begin for some time.

Sources have told ESPN FC that Chelsea are already actively exploring naming rights agreements for the new stadium, and Townsend reiterated that improving the first-team squad will be the primary benefit of any increased revenues.

"By creating additional revenues for Chelsea, it allows one to invest more in players," he added.

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