Despite Xavi having Frank Kessie, Gavi, Sergio Busquets, Frenkie De Jong and Pedri at his disposal, Sport say Barcelona are in the market for another central midfielder And with the Catalans shopping in the bargain basement they want a player who will be a free transfer next summer.
Sport say Ilkay Gundogan is on their list of potential transfer targets as his contract is up next year and he’s not close to putting pen to paper on an extension. They have a ‘special interest’ in the 31-year-old who could leave City on a free transfer as things stand, but the Sky Blues are keen to keep him.
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Gundogan joined City from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 and has gone on to make 266 appearances in all competitions, scoring 51 goals with 34 assists. The German international has made 13 appearances from a possible 14 this season, so he remains an important player to Pep Guardiola.
That being said, Gundogan has stated in the past that his future at City depends on how much playing time he gets, so Barca might have a chance to procure his signature if he spends the second half of the season on the periphery.
City have done a lot of business with the Catalans recently with Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres and Sergio Aguero making the switch in the last 18 months, so it wouldn’t be a big shock to see Gundogan follow the trio out the door.
But with Guardiola rating the midfielder highly and needing him due to a lack of depth, Gundogan could stay.
In other news, Man City have made the right decision on Nathan Ake’s future
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