One of the markets that Manchester City has been growing in recent years is Asia, and more specifically, China. Every club tries to carve out a niche in different markets from its own, and one good way of doing that is to come up with different kits, especially those that honor a certain culture.
According to kit insiders Footy Headlines, City will unveil a new kit in early 2027 that will be far different from the sky blue of normal kits. Instead, the shirt will be nearly black (deep navy blue?) with a blue watercolor wash interwoven into the black background. The regular Etihad Airways wording will be seen on the front, as well as the jumping Puma and the Man City logo.
Puma, of course, will be the one in charge of creating the kits as they are the official sponsor of City clothing. The shirt is unusual, too, because it looks like a painting that has been dripped. In other words, the kit is more like a collectable work of art than normal match-day garb.
Manchester City eyeing another Asian-inspired kit in early 2027
The Lunar New Year is the Year of the Goat (this shouldn't be misinterpreted as the Year of Erling Haaland, though fans could be rightly confused by the wording), so an artistic goat image can be seen on the shorts, as well as the outline of a player. From the posting on Footy Headlines, no specific players are shown, but just the outline of a general player.
The rumored new kit (this hasn't been officially announced by Puma or Manchester City) follows the same theme as 2026, when, in the Year of the Horse, another zodiac-inspired and Chinese-linked kit was dropped. The consistent additions of yearly Asian-inspired kits make sense financially, of course. It is an easy way to sell shirts globally.
This means when you make out your Christmas lists this year, you might add the new Manchester City kit, but know you won't get it until February. The official launch of the new shirt is expected to happen in January or February, and the Chinese New Year begins on February 6.
Not to bring up any negativity, of course, but City could be looking to make sure its revenue streams stay as open as possible. If the club is sanctioned for allegedly breaking financial fair play rules and that leads to relegation, the club might have to sell off players, and an impressive income from kits being sold in the Asian market could help further recoup financial losses.
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