Chelsea have been forced to keep shirt sponsor Three UK's logo on their matchday shirts due to the special government licence given to the Club upon Roman Abramovich's sanctioning.

Chelsea were handed a licence which allowed them to continue fulfilling their fixture requirements despite the Club's finances being frozen as a result of Abramovich's sanctioning. 

Revenue in and out of the Club was effectively paused, credit cards were temporarily suspended, and sales of merchandise and ticket sales stopped.

As per the Athletic, this means the Blue cannot print new kits due to operational restrictions following the decision to freeze Abramovich's assets.

The company have temporarily suspended their sponsorship with Chelsea.

Three have sponsored Chelsea since 2020 and are keen to put their deal on hold amid reports that they are in discussions over removing their logos from the shirts in the long-term.

Three became Chelsea's main partner in a three-year deal running from the 2020/2021 season, with an option to extend.

Chelsea worse the logo on their shirts against Norwich City and Newcastle United, despite Three wishing for the logo to be removed.

Hyundai have also suspended their marketing and communication activities with Chelsea. 

It has now been noted that once possible, Hyundai will be looking for Chelsea to remove their logo from the shirt sleeves. 

This latest news comes after Trivago, Chelsea's Training Wear sponsor, confirmed they will keep their deal and are 'looking forward to a transition of ownership as soon as possible and want to support the club in this process'.

It remains to be seen as to what the future holds for Chelsea and their partners, in particular Three, as a takeover will most likely be completed soon.

A deadline of March 15 has been set for bidders to submit offers to take over from Abramovich.

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