Puma Set to Alter Manchester City Kits With Major Branding Change
Sportswear giants Puma are preparing to introduce a major visual change across their kit lineup that will subtly transform the design of future Manchester City shirts, according to new reports.
The German kit manufacturer has been responsible for producing City's matchday apparel and training gear since embarking on a lucrative, long-term partnership ahead of the 2019/20 season.
Over that time, supporters have grown familiar with Puma's distinct design style, which has often tried to nod toward club tradition and Mancunian heritage while blending in bold modern styling and cutting-edge sportswear technology.
Now, new details suggest that Puma are planning to eliminate a signature branding element that has been present on their football jerseys for more than a quarter of a century, ushering in a new minimalist design across top European clubs.
Puma plan to ditch sleeve logos from 2027/28 season
According to kit specialists Footy Headlines, Puma will officially stop printing their iconic leaping cat logo on sleeves starting from the 2027/28 season.
The practice has been a staple of Puma shirts since the turn of the century, setting their products apart from competitors like Nike and Adidas over the decades.
From the 2027/28 campaign onward, Manchester City strips will feature the Puma logo exclusively on the chest, opposite the club crest.
This change reportedly aims to create a cleaner and more streamlined aesthetic for matchday shirts, allowing sleeve sponsor patches to take center stage without competing with the Puma brand mark.
A long-term partnership bound to £100m-a-year commercial reality
The subtle branding change comes in the first half of a massive commercial commitment between the two parties. In July 2025, Manchester City and Puma put pen to paper on a record-breaking ten-year extension worth roughly £100 million annually - a £1 billion mega-deal running through until at least 2035.
That financial guarantee cements Puma's presence in Manchester for the long haul, meaning supporters will be wearing the German brand's logo for another decade.
The club announced a switch from Nike to Puma at the start of 2019, having previously worked with manufacturers like Umbro and Reebok.
Ditching the sleeve logos might seem like a minor detail - and it is - but for match-going supporters bombarded by increasingly cluttered kits and constant advertising on the sidelines, any move toward a cleaner aesthetic is a small step in the right direction.
Of course, the change will have no bearing on this season, in which new boss Enzo Maresca is still in all four major competitions and is preparing his squad for back-to-back matches against Brighton and Hove Albion.
Aston Villa inflicted the club's first league defeat of the campaign on Saturday, but it was not enough to knock Manchester City off the top of the table.