Chelsea have agreed a new £40+million-a-season shirt sponsorship deal with American technology giants Infinite Athlete.

Both parties had hoped to confirm the deal on Tuesday but were delayed as they awaited a green light from Premier League bosses.

Chelsea fans on social media began to speculate about the shirt deal when rumours leaked from the club’s pre-season media day.

But a source close to the deal confirmed to Mail Online: ‘It’s just awaiting Premier League approval.’

All being well, Mauricio Pochettino’s side will wear the new branded kit for the first time in this Sunday’s Premier League opener at home to Liverpool. Emma Hayes and her women’s side are also part of the deal. They play their first pre-season friendly against Roma next month.

Chelsea had previously run the risk of starting the season without a front-of-shirt sponsor

Blues chief Todd Boehly decided against renewing terms with Three as the club’s shirt sponsor

New boss Mauricio Pochettino will have the AI player data required to help manage his squad

The contract has been in the making for months and ends the club’s search for a new shirt sponsor following the end of their deal with mobile phone company Three at the end of last season.

The news also represents a much-needed financial boost to owner Todd Boehly and his consortium, as well as avoiding the embarrassment of going into the 2023-24 season without a major deal in place.

Infinite Athlete has plans to become a major player in world football – supplying affordable player data to clubs and allowing fans to watch games from multiple camera angles.

In Chelsea’s case, new boss Pochettino and his staff will have the cutting edge AI player data they require to help manage their squad.

For fans, it means they will also be able to see the same stats in an app, while streaming a match and view it as if they were standing with friends on The Shed end or Matthew Harding stand.

Infinite Athlete, the parent company of another Chelsea partner Tempus Ex, already has huge sponsorship deals with the NFL and the US Collegiate Pac-12 Conference. They initially partnered with Chelsea earlier this year.

The rolling contract with Chelsea marks their first step into the Premier League, much to the delight of new Chelsea FC Chief Executive Officer, Chris Jurasek.