CHELSEA executive Casper Stylsvig has left the club after the Blues failed to agree a new shirt sponsorship deal.
As SunSport revealed in July chief revenue officer Stylsvig did bring offers to the table from a number of potential backers earlier in the summer.
But the Chelsea ownership group rejected them because they did not match their £55m valuation.
And the consortium led by Clearlake Capital is now believed to want between £60m and £65m for the front-of-shirt rights, after the club boosted its profile by winning the revamped Club World Cup.
Blues bosses are seeking not only a lucrative deal but also a long-term partnership with a company that goes beyond just a name on a shirt and makes an impact in the 21st century digital world.
A deal of £60m or more would put Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table with Manchester City, who trouser an annual £67.5m from Etihad, and Manchester United, whose tie-up with Snapdragon is worth around £60m per year.
Saudi airline Riyadh Air have been linked with a Chelsea deal, but for now the Blues remain the only top-flight club without a shirt sponsor.
And Stylsvig has become the second leading club executive to leave in the past year.
Chelsea’s last long-term shirt deal was a £40m-a-year arrangement with mobile phone firm Three.
The Three tie-up expired at the end of the 2022/3 season, the first campaign under the new regime that bought the club from Roman Abramovich in May 2022.
Chelsea entered 2023/4 without a shirt sponsor, signing with Infinite Athlete in September 2023 for the rest of that campaign.
The Blues went nearly all of last season without a name on the front of their shirt before a short-term arrangement with Dubai property firm DAMAC for the last few games.
Stylsvig arrived at Stamford Bridge in November 2023 after working at some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
The Dane started his career at Barcelona before spending eight years as Manchester United’s global sponsorship director and three years at Fulham.
When Stylsvig joined Chelsea from AC Milan, the then Blues chief executive Chris Jurasek praised the Dane’s “commercial and football experience”.
Jurasek himself left the club in September 2024 after only 15 months in the role.
And now Stylsvig has followed him out of the door less than two years after his own arrival.
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