Chelsea Strike £20m-a-year Shirt Sleeve Deal With WhaleFin

Chelsea have announced cryptocurrency firm WhaleFin as their new shirt sleeve sponsors for the 2022-23 campaign.

The Blues confirmed on their official website in the early hours of Saturday morning that American billionaire Todd Boehly and his consortium had signed an agreement purchase the club, following the UK Government's approval. 

He has partnered with fellow Dodgers owner Mark Walter, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss as well as investment firm Clearlake Capital.

And following Boehly's arrival in west London, the European champions have now confirmed a £20m-a-year deal with burgeoning group WhaleFin, who are set to replace South Korean car firm Hyundai as shirt sleeve sponsors next season.

WhaleFin is a digital asset platform owned by Amber Group, a company based in Singapore. 

The deal marks Chelsea's first official move into the crypto market, weeks after Liverpool were linked with picking another such firm to replace their main shirt sponsor, Standard Chartered, and after Manchester United made a deal with blockchain group Tezos. 

It is also worth double the amount of their current package with Hyundai, who sealed a five-year deal worth £50million (£10million per year) with the west London club back in 2018.

After confirming their agreement with Amber Group on Thursday, Chelsea CEO Guy Lawrence said: ‘This is a hugely exciting partnership for the club, which aligns us with one of the most advanced digital asset companies in the world. 

'As Amber Group continue to expand coverage of their platform globally, they will now have the ability to not only speak to the hundreds of millions of loyal Chelsea fans around the globe but also be seen by the billions who tune into the Premier League each season.'