Ilkay Gundogan (33, Barcelona), one of the golden age members who led Manchester City FC’s EPL heyday, has returned to his former club Manchester City through free agency.
On the 21st (Korean time), overseas transfer specialist reporter Fabrizio Romano announced on his SNS (X.com) that Barcelona midfielder Gundogan’s return to Manchester City without a transfer fee was confirmed after 48 hours of negotiations, along with his signature phrase, ‘Here We Go’.
Barcelona, which recruited attacking midfielder Dani Olmo (26), who led the team to victory in the last Euro 2024, to rebuild the team, appears to have decided to let go of high-paid player Gundogan in order to solve its existing financial problems in order to recruit Nico Williams (22, Athletic Bilbao).
After the article was published, rumors of Gundogan’s return to Manchester City gained momentum, and the Barcelona board, desperate to secure a salary cap, ended up sending Gundogan to Manchester City without a transfer fee.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has also approved Gundogan’s return to the team, and he has returned to England from Barcelona in Spain.
Ilkay Gundogan is one of the key figures behind Manchester City’s revival under Pep Guardiola, thanks to his excellent tactical understanding and flawless playing style.
He played a total of 304 games for Manchester City, scoring 60 goals and 40 assists. He was a player who was loved by many Manchester City fans, especially for his outstanding performance in big games.
In particular, he scored two goals against Manchester United in the 2022-23 season FA Cup final, effectively single-handedly winning the FA Cup trophy, and became the starting point for Manchester City to achieve their dream of a treble by winning the league and Champions League.
After achieving the treble and entering the latter half of his career, Gundogan, who failed to renew his contract with Manchester City, searched for a club that would offer a long-term contract for a stable career, and ended up transferring to the prestigious Spanish club FC Barcelona.
Despite his physical decline after the transfer, Gundogan, who played a key role as Barcelona’s midfielder, left Barcelona, which was experiencing financial difficulties due to stadium construction, and returned to his former team, Manchester City. This was good news for Manchester City, which had been struggling to fill Gundogan’s vacancy, and for the fans.
