Ilkay Gundogan choses to leave Manchester City to join FC Barcelona
German international Ilkay Gundogan choses to leave Manchester City to join FC Barcelona, according to Spanish newspaper Marca.
Gundogan officially ends his contract with Manchester City on June 30th. Manchester City allegedly has tried to convince Gundogan to stay, but apparently Gundogan favours the move to Barcelona. Ideally, he would like to see the signing finalized within this week, before he goes on vacation.
One requirement for Gundogan would be for Barça to guarantee that they can actually register him in the Spanish league. As is widely known, Barcelona have had financial difficulties, to the extent that they are still unable to register young star Gavi as part of the 1st team roster.
Barcelona’s Mateu Alemany is in Germany to facilitate discussions. There is optimism and it is expected that the still Manchester City player will end up playing under Xavi next season. The agreement with the player is to sign for two seasons with the option of a third depending on the number of games played.
Is this a good deal?
Gundogan, 32 years old, and Manchester City captain, is still in great form. Earlier this month, he scored two brilliant goals against Manchester United to secure the FA Cup. He is a regular starter for Guardiola’s side and contributed to also winning the Premier League and the Champions League, clinching Manchester City’s first treble.
It would be natural to think that Gundogan is happy at Manchester City. Barcelona, on the other hand, continue to struggle with results as they were unable to advance from the group stages at the Champions League, seeming naive and inexperienced at times, and were also knocked out early in the Copa del Rey. They did win the La Liga title, though in part due to a lack of form of archrivals Real Madrid particularly after the World Cup break. Barca also continue to have financial difficulties - and Gundogan could strain the salary requirements and leave little wiggle room for the Catalans.
So, is this a good move? Answer the poll below and leave your comments.
