Chelsea are set to continue playing with the Three logo on their kits until the end of the season - as Nike are unable to produce any new ones due to the terms of the special license that the club are currently operating under.
The mobile phone company announced they were suspending their partnership with the Blues on the same day that Roman Abramovich was slapped with sanctions by the UK Government. Three issued a request for their branding to be removed from Chelsea's playing kits, but a resolution has yet to be found.
The Londoners have worn branded shirts in all of their matches since Three made the shock decision, despite an expectation that the club would alter their shirts.
And according to The Daily Mail, the Blues are now poised to continue wearing their current kit until the end of the season after failing to come to a resolution with Three during the international break.
A suggestion to cover up the brand's logo with a white spray has been rebuffed by the club, who fear the idea would be 'too messy', while Chelsea are also not keen on the idea of covering up their shirts with tape. They believe that a thin later wouldn't block out the logo anyway, while a thick layer could make the shirts too heavy and therefore uncomfortable for players.
Although it remains to be seen if Three are content with Chelsea's decision to leave their shirts untouched for the remainder of the campaign, it's believed that they are 'resigned' to being tied to the club for now.
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While the club's shirt manufacturers, Nike - who have stood by the club and refused to cancel their own £900m agreement - are not currently permitted to provide new shirts, that situation could change if a takeover is agreed.
That would, in turn, allow the club to operate without its current special license. However, sponsors such as Three and Hyundai - Chelsea's sleeve sponsors who also suspended their agreement with the club - may wish to resume their partnerships with the club if the Blues are no longer owned by Abramovich.
Meanwhile, the race to purchase the club took an unexpected twist on Wednesday as rival bidders were left 'angry' after Blues chairman Bruce Buck facilitated a meeting between Tom Ricketts, the head of the Ricketts family, and Chelsea icon Paul Canoville in a bid to ease concerns over their bid.
But according to The Times, the club's other potential suitors were unimpressed by the meeting, with one source even claiming that the meeting "breached" the terms of the process after interested parties were instructed not to make contact with any executives of the club.
