FC Barcelona Agree To Sign Ilkay Gundogan From Manchester City: Reports

FC Barcelona have agreed to sign Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City, according to SPORT.

Following his masterclass in City’s 3-0 Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Bayern Munich this week, Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff met with the player’s uncle and agent at the club, Ihan Gundogan, on Thursday.

The pair have an amicable relationship with Ihan Gundogan, given that he also represents center back Andreas Christensen. In success that Ihan Gundogan’s nephew will look to replicate, Christensen has proved one of the bargains of the season after arriving on a free from Chelsea last summer and becoming a mainstay in Europe’s best defense which has put Barca in line to win their first La Liga crown in four years.

Ilkay Gundogan’s contract ends on June 30, and after knocking back offers of renewal from City, where has has been since 2016, the 32-year-old has decided to join FC Barcelona with his team working on the move for weeks.

Gundogan has agreed to a two-year contract with an additional, optional 12 months which will pay him €12 million ($13.3 million) a season.

If the figures are accurate, this works against president Joan Laporta’s policy of no player earning more than €10 million ($11 million) per term, but will be broken for Gundogan’s former Borussia Dortmund teammate Robert Lewandowski.

According to MARCA, Lewandowski’s contract sees him earn a net salary of €10 million ($10.8 million) this season which rises to €13 million ($14 million) in 2023/2024 and €16 million ($17.25 million) in 2024/2025. In 2025/2026, it returns to €13 million ($14 million) after which the Pole will no longer be tied to the club.

Back to Gundogan, his showing this week against Dortmund’s bitter rivals Bayern showed that he is still cut out for the biggest stage despite his advanced years, and the veteran can also bring much added experience to a young squad while having a positive influence on the likes of Pedri and Gavi in the center of the back.

If the cash is somehow freed up, Barca can still make an approach for Gundogan’s City teammate Bernardo Silva before the summer transfer window closes.