Sportswear brand Adidas has ended its sponsorship of Chelsea football club six years early. The German firm, which has sponsored Chelsea since 2006, will end its partnership with Chelsea on 30th June 2017. As a result, Chelsea will have to pay the company tens of millions of Euros in compensation, which will push Adidas’ profits to 25%, up from the 15-18% range originally predicted.

The deal was the biggest in Premier League history when it was first signed in 2003, before Adidas then beat its own record, signing a £750m to replace its US rival Nike as sponsor of Manchester United.

The company said in a statement: "Adidas... wishes to expressly thank Chelsea Football Club for their always professional and successful collaboration, which has included, among other successes, the time of their UEFA Champions League title in 2012 as well as two Premier League titles.”