Catalan newspaper Sport have a double page spread in their Monday edition displaying what they claim are the new Barcelona kits for next season.
It’s explained that the final approval has been given to the designs, and manufacturing will soon commence to make sure there are enough shirts available for the launch next year.
Barcelona have recently announced Rakuten as their new shirt sponsor and the designs all reflect the club’s new commercial partner.
Should Sport be correct then Barcelona’s home shirt for next season would have the traditional vertical stripes, but not in the traditional way. There’s a gradient in the sizes of the stripes working towards a middle panel.
It’s the away kits which may spark the most conversation. The light blue kit looks very like that of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, bringing another link between the two clubs.
The third kit is reminiscent of AS Roma’s home shirt, and all three clubs are contracted to Nike.
Sport say the shirt designs have been well received by Barcelona, but some disagree. Comments on their online article include one fan saying the kits are ‘the definition of ugly’, with another adding: ‘I do not know if they strive more each year to make the most horrible shirts, a disaster from God.’
