‘Leaked’ designs reveal Chelsea’s next home kit could be a real blast from the past

With the season's end in sight, thoughts are already turning to 2017/18.

Already, we've noticed a few signs that the transfer rumour mill is beginning to turn, and we're also seeing a steady flow of leaked kit designs across social media. Hot on the heels of rumoured new designs for Manchester United and Arsenal, we've now had a glimpse of the shirts that Chelsea will / might be turning out in come next August. Assuming these are genuine, it seems Nike have drawn inspiration from a Chelsea shirt worn by the club 30 years ago. The diamond grid effect was seen on the home kit the club wore between 1987 and 1989, a spell when they followed relegation from the old top flight by bouncing straight back up, winning the old second division title by 17 points. https://twitter.com/Chels7a/status/846327900932620290 Here's the shirt the 1987-89 home strip, worn by Pat Nevin. Another image doing the rounds on Twitter appears to suggest that the diamond grid pattern will also feature on Chelsea's away and third strips, too. For now though, those connected with Antonio Conte's side will be concentrating on sealing the Premier League title. Having gone into the international break ten points clear of second place Tottenham, a win over Crystal Palace on April 1 will be another step towards league success. Catch up with this week's episode of 888Sport Football Friday Live