Man City legend Ilkay Gundogan is closing in on a return to the Premier League champions and is making a huge financial sacrifice to facilitate the move.
Barcelona recently decided that they wanted to part ways with the German star in order to get the 33-year-old’s salary off of their books, which will help register new signing Dani Olmo.
The Catalan club have let Gundogan leave Spain for free and that was an opportunity Man City did not want to pass up as Pep Guardiola is eager to have his former captain back at the Etihad Stadium for the 2024/25 campaign.
According to Fabrizio Romano, all the documents related to the transfer are now in place between Man City and Barcelona, which means the deal will become official very soon.
The transfer journalist states that the 33-year-old is making a huge financial sacrifice to return to Manchester as he is leaving behind the money the La Liga club owe him for the next two years on his contract in Spain.
Before leaving for Barcelona last summer, Gundogan spent seven years with Man City between 2016 and 2023, winning everything alongside Pep Guardiola. The German racked up 304 appearances for the Premier League champions, scoring 60 goals and assisting a further 38.
Some of those strikes are the biggest in the history of the Manchester club, with his brace against Aston Villa on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign being the most memorable.
At 33, Gundogan is still a top-class player as his intelligence has not left him. The midfielder will take off some of the pressure placed on Rodri and keeping the Spain international fresh could play a big role in how Man City do this season.
The veteran star could also be a big factor in the Premier League champions’ success and Guardiola knows this, hence why the Spanish coach is open to bringing his former captain back.
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