Research shows that Chelsea are the most generous of the current Premier League clubs, spending £7.5m and having the highest income at £7.9m.

The 20 official Premier League charities spent a total of £52.5m in the most recent year for which they have filed accounts and had a combined income of £58.6m, Third Sector found.

Behind Chelsea in the list are the charitable foundations for Manchester United (£4.3m), Norwich City (£4.3m) and Everton (£3.5m) who make up the rest of the top-four biggest charitable spenders in the league.

The figures are based on the latest accounts filed with the Charity Commission, all of which cover the 2017/18 football season.

Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck said: ‘We are hugely proud of our contribution to our communities both at home and abroad.

‘The Chelsea Foundation has made enormous strides in using sport as a vehicle to inspire, motivate and educate and these results underline that commitment.

‘What sets us apart is the huge range of work we undertake, not just encouraging people of all ages to play sport but creating programmes to tackle youth offending, promote equality as well as initiatives to encourage learning in STEM subjects.

‘Since we launched in 2010 hundreds of thousands of young people have benefited from our initiatives and we look forward to welcoming many more in the coming years.'

The Foundation focuses on football development programmes both at home and abroad and also works on a broad range of other projects in areas such as employment, education, social deprivation, crime reduction and youth offending.

To learn more on the work the Foundation does both in local areas and around the world, click here.