Ilkay Gundogan set to join Barcelona for free

After rejecting a contract extension with Manchester City, German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will be moving to Spanish club side Barcelona on a free transfer after agreeing a lucrative three-year deal with the Blaugrana.

Gundogan was in the thick of everything as Manchester City won a treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and the  UEFA Champions League last season, having played 51 games in 2022-23, scoring 11 goals.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was keen to keep the 32-year-old at the club due to his effectiveness, but the former Borussia Dortmund player chose to depart after influencing crucial games in the closing weeks of City’s season, scoring six goals in his last seven games.

This includes a double in the 2-1 FA Cup final win over Manchester United at Wembley Stadium and also played the whole duration in the Champions League final as City beat Italian side Inter Milan 1-0 to win their first UEFA Champions League title.

The Citizens have reached an agreement to bring in Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea for around £30M to replace Gundogan. He joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 for just £20M and made 304 appearances for the club, scoring 60 goals in all competitions.

The German international, who was made the skipper of Manchester City at the start of last season, won 14 titles in his seven years at the club.

These include five Premier League titles, one Champions League, two FA Cups, four Carabao Cups, and two Community Shields. Gundogan joins Barcelona after Sergio Busquets left Camp Nou after spending 18 years at the club.

The club has also seen Jordi Alba leave at the end of the season. Gundogan’s move will become official on July 1 once his Manchester City contract expires at the end of June. Barcelona won the La Liga and Supercopa Espana double.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu