Chelsea and Barcelona sign mammoth kit deals with Nike

Chelsea have agreed a major new kit deal with Nike, worth £60m a year to the London club, but the news has been overshadowed by claims that Barcelona have landed an even bigger deal with the same manufacturer that will rake in £80m a year.

Chelsea's deal is not to be sniffed at, however. It's the second most lucrative in the Premier League after Manchester United's £75m-a-year agreement with Adidas.

The "stunning" deal will "help the club to continue to compete at the top end of the transfer market, despite failing to qualify for the Champions League", says the Daily Telegraph.

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Chelsea's existing deal with Adidas is worth a mere £30m a year – the same as Arsenal get from Puma – and Nike have offered double that.

The Blues will change manufacturer at the end of next season, but the switch will come at a cost. "Chelsea's decision to part company with Adidas six years early will cost the club £40m in compensation, but the Nike agreement makes it worth their while to get out as quickly as possible," says the paper.

The Telegraph believes that the new deal will be for ten years and will be worth a total of £600m.

However, Nike appear to have thrown caution to the wind and according to reports in Spain have sealed an even bigger deal with Barcelona worth £80m a year.

The Catalan newspaper Ara carries news of what the Daily Mirror calls the "planet's biggest kit deal", which represents a huge increase on the Spanish club's current agreement, worth a measly £25m.

As possibly the biggest club in the world, Barcelona are one of Nike's biggest clients in terms of merchandise sales and now they have been "rewarded" with the huge new kit deal.

"For a club that has found their hands a bit tied by internally-agreed financial controls this season, a new deal with Nike plus an improved sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways should give them some breathing room," notes the Mirror.