Chelsea are in talks with treble winners Manchester City amid plans to face off in a pre-season tour of the United States this summer, as per The Athletic.
Chelsea featured in and won the inaugural Premier League Summer Series in the US last summer ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Newcastle United and Aston Villa.
The previous tour of the US saw games spread across Philadelphia, Atlanta, Orlando, New Jersey and Maryland, although this summer will not see a repeat of this event in America.
Controversies currently surround the Summer Series, with the Premier League advocating for a unified broadcasting plan to showcase the fixtures.
However, several clubs are eager to earn significant revenue by selling subscriptions to watch pre-season fixtures on their own platforms.
They are confident that organising games and negotiating deals with promoters by themselves will result in more lucrative match fees for them.
The US tour is seen as an opportunity to expose clubs that are newer to the American market in a bid to boost the international value of the Premier League.
The Premier League exceeded internal targets for last summer’s edition on ticket sales, with over 260,000 fans attending the series in the US.
Chelsea are poised to embark on a second consecutive pre-season tour in the US and could be accompanied by rivals Man City, who travelled to Japan and South Korea last summer.
Both clubs are expected to be in the US this summer ahead of future congested schedules in the American football market due to the launch of the FIFA Club World Cup on the East Coast of America in 2025.
With the US hosting the men’s 2026 World Cup, along with Mexico and Canada, this summer becomes a crucial opportunity to secure big match appearance fees and tap into the growing enthusiasm for Premier League clubs in the US.
