£25m deal in limbo as Newcastle wait on sponsor for 2026/27 kit release

Back in June 2023, Newcastle United announced a three-year partnership for Sela to be the club's official front-of-shirt sponsor.

That deal is coming to an end this summer, leaving CEO David Hopkinson on the lookout for a new partnership as Adidas prepares to release our kit for the 2026/27 season.

Usually, with a sponsor in place, any new kit is worn for the final home game of the current season, boosting sales heading into the summer. 

But with no Sela replacement currently in place and that £25m deal due to expire next month, Newcastle are facing a race against time to secure a new partnership.

Kit delay explained as Sela deal expiring 

In his latest Q&A for The Athletic, Chris Waugh has explained why Newcastle fans are facing a wait for the release of the new 2026/27 Adidas home shirt.

Not only are Newcastle not in a position to wear the new leaked design during Sunday's final home game of the season against West Ham, it also sounds like our search for a Sela replacement is yet to be finalised.

As Waugh explains, Hopkinson does not want to take a cut on the £25m-per-year Sela have paid out, but the clock is ticking. With that in mind, it's unclear if a rolling agreement to retain Sela may be agreed, should no suitable replacement be secured.

'Sela’s three-year deal ran into this season, so the Adidas-manufactured kit could be released in its entirety at the back end of the previous campaign, but there is greater uncertainty about who will adorn the shirt moving forwards.

'As of earlier this month, Newcastle had not struck a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal for next season. Nor were they even close to doing so at that stage.

'More than half of Premier League front-of-shirt deals are due for renewal and, with betting-advertising regulations changing, the industry feedback is that sponsorship levels on offer have been depressed somewhat. Newcastle do not want to undersell themselves, and so will not merely take a huge cut on the £25m ($34.1m) a year the Sela partnership provides.

'Whether a rolling deal for Sela to extend may be agreed, or Newcastle could even go into 2026-27 without a front-of-shirt sponsor, as Chelsea have done previously, is unclear. But David Hopkinson, the CEO, is keen to maximise commercial revenue, so he will not want to see a massive decrease in the valuation of Newcastle’s kit deal if at all possible.'

New design hasn't gone down well

As you may have seen via recent leaks, Newcastle's 2026/27 home kit has already been shared across social media, and mirrors the design we exclusively reported on last year. 

 will feature thin stripes down each side, one thicker black block through the centre and blue on the shoulders and sleeves.

The initial reaction has been negative, with many comparing the design to a barcode, although any final judgments may have to wait until we see it with the new sponsor.