In an unexpected turn of events in the final two weeks of the summer transfer window, Barcelona star Ilkay Gundogan, who joined the Blaugrana from Manchester City last summer, appears set to leave the Catalan giants this window.
This bombshell emerged following his exclusion from Barcelona's squad for their La Liga opener against Valencia. While his absence was brushed off as being due to a concussion, speculation surfaced surrounding the German's future.
Barcelona reportedly wish to offload the 33-year-old due to FFP reasons, with the five-time Premier League winner being one of the club's highest earners. Fast forward to today and Cadena Ser reports that the player has agreed to leave Catalonia.
His departure would help the Spanish giants with their salary cap and allow them to register summer signing Dani Olmo, who missed Saturday's Valencia trip due to this reason. Gundogan, meanwhile, is garnering interest from England, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
To no one's surprise, Manchester City were immediately linked with their former player, with the Athletic confirming interest from the Premier League champions. Additionally, Fabrizio Romano wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the English giants have already contacted the midfielder over a potential deal.
Manchester City have made contact with Ilkay Gündogan's camp over potential return for German midfielder.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 19, 2024
City and Pep Guardiola open to consider Gündo's comeback.
Barça want Gündogan to leave… and he also received approaches from Qatar, Saudi and more clubs. pic.twitter.com/hHmZhao0jj
Gundogan, who has just announced his retirement from the German national team, would solve several issues at the Etihad Stadium. Firstly, Guardiola failed to replace the void he left when he exited the Etihad Stadium for free last summer, with neither Mateo Kovacic nor Matheus Nunes hitting the ground running.
Additionally, with Kalvin Phillips having left on loan to Ipswich Town, the Cityzens do not have a midfielder who can reliably cover for Rodri. Not only can Ilkay deputize for the Spaniard to a high degree but the German can also partner the Euro 2024 winner in Manchester City's midfield to a world-class level.
It remains unclear what Barcelona will demand to sanction his exit, with some sources even suggesting that the club are merely desperate to get his wages off the book and might thus terminate his deal to facilitate his departure.
The player arrived for free only a year ago, meaning any potential transfer fee would be pure profit. On the flip side, with Gavi recovering from an ACL injury while Pedri and Dani Olmo are injury-prone, Hansi Flick could lose the club's only reliable midfielder.
