Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani has lifted the lid on the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on finances within football.
After the pandemic started to worsen in the UK in early-March, all elite-level football was suspended and failed to make a return for just over three months.
The impact of clubs not being able to function properly for such a lengthy period of time, particularly for clubs in the lower reaches of English football, has had a devastating impact, with outfits being unable to pay wages to both playing and non-playing staff.
It isn't just the clubs at the bottom end of the football pyramid hit hard by the pandemic, with Leeds owner Radrizzani revealing the Whites have probably lost somewhere in the region of £30m to £40m, which, of course, would have done even more damage had the club not secured promotion back to the Premier League.
Radrizzani has now opened up on the impact the crisis had on Leeds and the astonishing knock-on effect it has had on the deal they are poised to announce regarding next season's shirt sponsor.
"We are already hit very badly, we probably lose £30m to 40m between this season and the beginning of the next one," he said.
"We, unfortunately, can see the negative impact of COVID in every area: ticketing, hospitality, sponsorship sales.
"Already, the offer we had for shirt sponsorship before COVID and what we are about to confirm is in the region of 40 per cent lower.
"Unfortunately, every sports organisation is affected by this health crisis, economic crisis."
Earlier this week, the Whites, who are poised to kick-off next season's Premier League campaign in mid-September, confirmed they had reached an agreement with sportswear giant Adidas to become their official kit partner for the next five years.
However, details about who the new shirt sponsor will be have yet to be revealed.
