Manchester City are lining up former captain Ilkay Gundogan for an incredible return after Barcelona surprisingly made him available for transfer.
Gundogan was expected to stay at Camp Nou despite a mixed first season in Spain but it emerged on Monday that club president Joan Laporta is prepared to sacrifice the 33-year-old to create financial headroom to register new signings.
Barcelona signed Dani Olmo for £47million from RB Leipzig but due to La Liga’s financial rules, they do not have the financial capacity to register him yet.
The Catalan club have huge debts and i understands they have also been touting forward Ferran Torres to Premier League clubs.
That means Gundogan – left out of the Barcelona squad for their opening game at Valencia – can leave, with clubs in Saudi Arabia and England understood to have been alerted to his availability.
But it is his former club City who have emerged as the clear front runners for his signature after making contact with his representatives on Monday.
It represents something of a whirlwind move for a club that usually plan their recruitment meticulously, and Gundogan does not fit their usual transfer profile given his age.
Yet clearly they would be prepared to break those rules given his obvious class and ability to fit straight into Pep Guardiola’s system and plans.
Gundogan is also incredibly popular inside the dressing room and on the terraces, where he is a firm favourite among Manchester City fans. The move is understood to carry huge appeal to the German, who also announced his international retirement this week.
Further hurdles would need to be cleared to confirm the deal, not least an agreement over his contract given he is understood be on around £180,000-a-week at Barcelona. He turned down three contracts at City before opting to move to Spain.
Saudi club Al-Nassr have also been linked with a move for Gundogan and could afford to easily outstrip those salary demands. But the chance to return to City, play in the Champions League and reunite with Guardiola may hold more sway.
It would also strengthen the reigning champions, who opened their Premier League account impressively with a defeat of Chelsea at the weekend. They have had a fairly quiet summer but could still add Gundogan and one other player before the deadline.
i understands City were not expecting to do any big money business before the end of the transfer window next week, with one of their top targets Bruno Guimaraes having committed himself to Newcastle United – where he has been made club captain to repay his summer loyalty.
City, though, do need cover for Rodri in midfield and require further options in attack after Julian Alvarez departed for Atletico Madrid. Gundogan’s versatility and technical excellence means he could potentially do both if required.
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