Treble winner Ilkay Gundogan will join La Liga champions Barcelona after his exit from Manchester City.
He will sign a two-year contract until 2026 with an option of another year with the Catalan club. He will also have a £500 million release clause, as per Fabrizio Romano.
Barca have given Gundogan the confidence that they will be able to register him despite their financial issues. Gundogan arrives at the club after winning a treble with Manchester City.
His experience and versatility to play in different positions will help Xavi. They will also miss their veteran star Sergio Busquets, but Gundogan’s arrival will help them.
Gundogan will join Barcelona after rejecting City’s contract extension
The midfielder’s departure is a big blow for Man City as he was pivotal for them from the start. Moreover, Guardiola wanted him to stay and extend his contract with the club.
However, City will sign Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea. The deal is sealed, and City will pay £30 million for the Croatian.
Ilkay Gundogan will join Barcelona from Manchester City
The German midfielder will join Barcelona on 1st July after his contract with City expires. According to reports, the deal is not done yet, and an official announcement is still missing.
Gundogan underwent his medical tests in Munich, and after that, he met with Mateu Alemany to sign the contracts.
Gundogan rejected City’s contract, because he found it disrespectful that Man City only offered him a one-year contract plus one optional year. He has also rejected offers from Arsenal and Saudi Arabia in order to sign for Barcelona.
Barcelona strengthen their squad depth after signing Gundogan
Gundogan joins Inigo Martinez and Mikayil Faye in having agreed to join Barcelona. However, only Mikayil Faye has been officially announced by the La Liga champions. Vitor Roque is also close to joining Barcelona from Atletico Paranaense.
Barca fans will hope to see Gundogan in action in pre-season. The Catalans will play friendlies against Juventus, Real Madrid and AC Milan in the United States.
