Chelsea Unveil New Kit for 2012 Season and £247 Million Transfer Chest - Report

Chelsea have officially released photos of the new home kit for the 2012/13 season.

The most prominent feature of the new Chelsea home shirt is the presence of a golden shade along the trim. In fact, everything from the three stripes down the sleeve to the club crest and the Adidas and Samsung logos have been turned a distinct gold, from the traditional white. There's also a golden "CFC" motif on the rear of the neck and gold piping around the arms and neck, while subtle dark blue stripes are featured through the front of the shirt. This design detail is repeated through the shorts and socks.

The addition of the gold colour to the Chelsea kit is to celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympics or, as it referred to it in their press release, "the year of sport and celebration in the capital".

Frank Lampard, Fernando Torres, Petr Cech and Daniel Sturridge launched the club's new kit, while Juan Mata and David Luiz also featured in the photo-shoot. The new Chelsea home kit will be available for fans to purchase from 10 May but can be pre-ordered online at the club's official Web site.

Meanwhile, it is not just the club's kit that has a golden trim.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, club owner Roman Abramovich is expected to hand his new manager (who has yet to be appointed; Italian boss Roberto Di Matteo has been in interim charge since the club sacked full-time manager Andre Villas-Boas) an eye-popping £247 million war chest for the summer transfer window.

The money could come in very handy for an ageing squad struggling to finish in the top four this season and so assure themselves of Champions League football next year. The club has reportedly identified several possible transfer targets as they look to plug gaps and refresh the talent pool. However, Abramovich will know that any big-name signing for next season could depend entirely on the club being able to offer the player Champions League football - which means a minimum fourth place in the finish this year is a must.

The report says Chelsea are targeting Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao, Napoli forward Ezequiel Lavezzi and Ajax defender Jan Vertonghen this summer. The London club have also made contact with Porto over their interest in Hulk and a fresh bid to sign Tottenham's Luka Modric is also expected.

Any spending spree, however, is likely to be offset with the departures of senior players like Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Jose Bosingwa and Paulo Ferreira, who will all be out of contract in the summer.

Check out Chelsea's 2012/13 kit