EXCLUSIVE: See Barcelona's new horizontal kits for the first time

EXCLUSIVE: See Barcelona's new horizontal kits for the first time

Barcelona's new kits for next season are being created already. Nike has begun to manufacture the new strip with its controversial horizontal stripes, one of the most talked about kits in Barcelona history. The away kit, meanwhile, will be orange, but with the four red stripes of the senyera (Catalunya's flag) on the back. They will also keep the yellow senyera kit as a third option for the 2015-16 season. 

The club is on the podium when it comes to the teams that sell the most shirts in the world, but they hope this new, different design will make them sell more shirts than Real Madrid and Manchester United, who sell 1.58 and 1.49 million each annually. 

In recent seasons, Barcelona have been selling 1.1 million. In spite of the anger over the horizontal stripes rather than vertical, the kit is expected to be a bestseller, not least because the novelty will be a great attraction to overseas fans. Many of them won't have the same sentimental or historical impediments to liking the change from vertical to sideways. 

While lifelong members have already reacted with great skepticism to the kit, fans from other countries have already declared they like it, and some Nike distributors have already noted the high demand generated by the new shirt. 

Renegotiating with Nike

Nike's contract with Barcelona expires in 2018 but the club are negotiating with the US company to renew the deal, with Javier Faus, Barcelona's economic vice president, in charge. Barcelona have been with Nike since 1998, receiving €35million a year, far from the current figures that teams get for deals in the modern era. Manchester United are making €950m over 10 years from Adidas, whule Real Madrid get €55m a season from the same brand. Barcelona want to significantly increase what they're being paid and aren't afraid to table the idea of moving to different manufacturers.