Ilkay Gundogan is one of the top targets for FC Barcelona in the upcoming summer transfer window, but his transfer operation has been anything but simple. Having been associated with the Cules for several months now, the player’s transfer to Barcelona is still far from its conclusion.
Gundogan’s current contract with Manchester City will end by the end of this month, and he has yet to decide and declare his plans for the future. Barcelona are one of the clubs most interested in his signing, but his current club, Manchester City is also pushing hard to convince him for a renewal, while Al-Hilal, Arsenal, and Borussia Dortmund have also been linked with the player in the past few months.
This high interest in the player is only natural, keeping in view the player’s quality and experience. In this regard, his coach, Pep Guardiola, spoke to the press where he expressed his views on Gundogan’s situation as per a recent report from SPORT.
The former Barcelona coach commented that he knew that “FC Barcelona are very interested in Gündogan but we also want to keep him. If they succeed in signing him, they’ll get a great player.”
Gundogan was expected to decide on his future after the UEFA Champions League final, which he ultimately won with Manchester City. However, the player has still not disclosed his future destination.
Previous reports claimed that while the player wants to join Barcelona, he is getting more pessimistic about the possibility of such a move, primarily because of the financial situation of the Catalan club. The player and FC Barcelona both are eager to work with one another, and according to the latest reports, the two parties have never been closer to an agreement as they are now.
Still, if Barcelona are unable to present a firm offer to the player, the pressure from Manchester City and the greater financial offering from Saudi Arabia might result in the player joining one of these alternatives this summer.