Manchester City are closing in on a deal for the return of Ilkay Gundogan from FC Barcelona. The former German international has agreed to return to Etihad after spending one season with Barcelona. As per Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City are not paying any transfer fee for the 33-year-old, as the Citizens are ready to sign him for free.
Ilkay Gündogan is ready to return to Manchester on a deal until 2025 with an option for a further season. But what happened with the German international? Why is he eager to leave Barcelona after just one season and return to Manchester City?
Ilkay Gündogan is ready to return to Manchester City
Former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gündogan joined Barcelona last year for free after captaining the city side in the treble-winning season. After Pep Guardiola took charge as the manager of Manchester City in 2016, Ilkay Gündogan was the first player that the Spaniard brought into the city squad.
Ilkay Gündogan made 304 appearances for the Citizens before leaving the club last season. The midfielder was a crucial player under Pep Guardiola. The combination of Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne always helped City to win crucial games. No one can forget the final match of the 2021/22 season, where Ilkay Gündogan scored a brace against Aston Villa in the final minutes of the match to snatch the title from Liverpool.
But after the treble-winning season, in 2023, the German midfielder left City and joined Barcelona for free. The German was arguably one of the best players in the Barcelona squad under Xavi. Gündogan made 51 appearances last season across all competitions, netting 5 goals, and registering 14 assists. All this makes us wonder what could have possibly forced Ilkay Gündogan to leave Barcelona just after one season?
Why is Ilkay Gündogan leaving Barcelona?
Well, there are two main reasons behind this transfer. Barcelona recently signed Spanish midfielder Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig for a transfer fee of €55M in this summer transfer window.
As reported by Sky Sports, Gundogan had been informed that he is free to depart Barcelona as the club aims to offload players in order to lower their wage bill, in order to register new signings. Selling Ilkay Gündogan will open the door for Barcelona to register Dani Olmo in their squad for the upcoming season.
Another reason would be the appointment of a new manager. Just after the end of the last season, Barcelona appointed former German national team head coach and former Bayern Munich manager, Hansi Flick, as their new manager after the departure of Xavi.
Recently Bein Sports published a piece of news on Gündogan’s future with Barcelona. According to that news, after a recent meeting between Gündogan and Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, it was decided that Gündogan would not be assured a permanent starting role in a team with different tactical needs compared to last season. These are the two main reasons that forced Ilkay Gündogan to leave Barcelona.
Will Ilkay Gündogan’s return help City?
Ilkay Gündogan joined City in 2016 from Borussia Dortmund as Pep Guardiola’s first signing. Over the years, Gündogan showed his class on the pitch. In the 2022/23 season, he captained the side to win the treble for the first time in the history of the club. So, there is no doubt that the return of Manchester City’s iconic captain will definitely be a good move.
Manchester City lost two of their attacking options from last season’s first-team squad. Julian Alvarez left City this summer after spending two seasons at Etihad and joined Spanish giants, Atletico Madrid. Another forward, Oscar Bobb, is also out for up to four months after he got injured in a training session. At this moment, the move of Ilkay Gündogan looks very crucial for Manchester City.
Although Pep Guardiola already said that he will give more time to young players like McAtee and O’Reilly, the move of Ilkay Gündogan will be still beneficial for Pep Guardiola. Ilkay Gündogan could help the youngsters to understand the game better. These young players could be played as substitute players, which will ultimately help them to learn Pep’s tactics more. So, in a way, the move of Ilkay Gündogan would most likely help Manchester City.
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