Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan could reportedly have a serious chance of leaving the club after just one season as options are being explored before the end of this summer’s transfer deadline.
That’s according to Fabrizio Romano‘s latest post on X, while it’s also been reported by Cadena SER that the Germany international could even be open to returning to Manchester City, just a year after swapping the Etihad Stadium for the Nou Camp.
Romano doesn’t specifically mention Gundogan possibly going back to Man City, but it seems we can’t rule out seeing the 33-year-old quit Barca in a slightly surprising move given that he spent just one season with the club.
See below for the latest details from Romano…
??? Ilkay Gündogan can really leave Barça before the end of the transfer window.
Not guaranteed yet but his camp has started exploring options for the final days as Barça are open to letting Ilkay go.
Flick said he expects Gündo to stay but solutions are being explored. pic.twitter.com/J5HZREyK14
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 19, 2024
Gundogan’s final season at City was a memorable one as he was one of their best performers as they won the treble, so one imagines he’d be warmly welcomed back even if he didn’t quite show his best form in his short time in La Liga.
City might not be too keen to sign an ageing player, but it also seems clear that Gundogan is someone who’s good enough to make an exception for.
Barcelona fans won’t be too happy with this, but it perhaps might be a good idea for them to also consider Gundogan’s age and try to move on and rebuild around someone different in the middle of the park.
Last season was a pretty disappointing one for Barca overall, and they’ll hope things can improve under new manager Hansi Flick, who had seemingly been keen to keep Gundogan.
That all seems up in the air now, however, so this will be an interesting story to keep an eye on, and City fans will no doubt feel a sense of excitement at the prospect of potentially welcoming a club legend back.
Not good news at all
This Barca board is bringing back the bad memories of the Bartomeu-Abidal era. It will be a shame if Gundo leaves because he was one of our best performers last season.
Of course none of barca fan will be happy with this, but it’s also easy to play with the player that feels comfortable in the club.