As Xavi Hernandez tries to strengthen his alternatives in the middle of the park, Ilkay Gundogan is one of Barcelona’s main targets during the upcoming summer transfer window.
Gundogan appears to be a fairly reasonable target for Barça given that the seasoned midfielder’s contract expires at the end of the current campaign, despite the recent clamour surrounding the club’s pursuit of Joshua Kimmich.
The Times says that Gundogan and Manchester City are close to reaching a contract renewal agreement, which will cause Barcelona to experience a new setback in their pursuit of the player.
According to earlier reports, Gundogan prefers Barcelona’s offer of a three-year contract over Man City’s one-year extension offer. But the English champions are prepared to extend their contract with him after seeing how well he played towards the conclusion of the season.
A lengthier deal should be part of the new proposal, which might change Gundogan’s mind. Fabrizio Romano supports an extension through 2024 with a potential extension through 2025. The international player from Germany would not be against extending his contract at the Etihad this summer because he likes working with Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola has already made it known that he wants to hang onto Gundogan after 2023. Man City is willing to make the effort to keep the services of its seasoned midfielder, especially following a season in which the team is in the running for the triple.
Barcelona may suffer a significant setback as a result of Gundogan’s extended stay at the Etihad, as they have struggled to locate a suitable replacement in the market.
They have been connected to transfers for Ruben Neves, Martin Zubimendi, and Joshua Kimmich. But because each of these three possibilities is likely to be extremely expensive, the club has been compelled to choose Sofyan Amrabat as their top midfield target for the time being.
However, Barcelona won’t give up completely and will probably keep trying to persuade Gundogan to move to Catalonia following a successful stint in Manchester.