Transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano has claimed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is happy to bring Ilkay Gundogan back from Barcelona. Man City and Gundogan’s camps are currently in talks over a permanent transfer in the coming days.
Shortly after coming on as Man City manager in 2016, Guardiola signed Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund in a €27 million ($29.92 million) deal. Due to injuries, Gundogan could not play his best game in his debut season, but the following six seasons saw him emerge as one of the best players in the Premier League.
Helped along by his scintillating midfield play, Manchester City won five Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League trophy amongst other honors between the 2017-18 and 2022-23 seasons. Having won it all at City, Gundogan joined Barcelona as a free agent in the summer of 2023.
Pep Guardiola Green-Lights Ilkay Gundogan’s Manchester City Return
Gundogan played fine soccer in his debut season at Barcelona, chipping in with five goals and nine assists in 36 La Liga appearances. Despite his exploits, Gundogan is edging toward a shock summer exit, with many clubs, including Manchester City, lining up to prize him away.
Addressing Gundogan to Man City links, Romano wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“Understand Pep Guardiola has already approved Ilkay Gündogan’s return to Manchester City.
“Pep wants Gündo back as talks are now taking place with his camp, [the] first contact [was] made yesterday. Decision up to Gündogan as he has proposals also from Saudi/Qatar; Man City, on it.”
Gundogan’s addition would greatly bolster Man City’s midfield, as he could serve as Rodri’s cover when necessary. Also, being an experienced player, he would be able to guide the youngsters in tricky matches.
Why Is Ilkay Gundogan Leaving Barcelona?
Having won the Treble with Manchester City in the 2022-23 season, Gundogan joined Barcelona amid mega fanfare. He hit the ground running in the Catalonian capital, showing he had the quality to act as Barca’s controller.
Barcelona did not have to pay an upfront fee to sign Gundogan from City. However, he joined the club on a €360,577 per week contract, emerging as one of the highest earners on the team alongside Frenkie de Jong. Since the Blaugrana is in a difficult spot with Financial Fair Play (FFP), the club management believes offloading high-resource Gundogan makes a lot of sense.
Gundogan was left out of Hansi Flick’s squad for Barcelona’s La Liga opener against Valencia last weekend. By the looks of it, the German is already planning a future without the central midfielder.
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