Gundogan set for Man City reunion on free transfer

Ilkay Gundogan is set to return to Manchester City this week after agreeing a one-year contract with his former club.
The 33-year-old midfielder will rip up his Barcelona contract to enable a reunion with Pep Guardiola, who has been keen to re-sign Gundogan after letting him go only a year ago. His new deal with City will have the option for a further year.
Gundogan played 51 matches for Barcelona in all competitions last season, which is more than any of his team-mates. He scored five goals and set up 14 more, and further underlined his importance to the squad with his leadership in the dressing room.
His expected exit from Barcelona is purely on financial grounds. Barcelona need to get rid of a big earner to register their new signing Dani Olmo, and Gundogan, who is said to earn about £14million a year, has one of the highest salaries in the club.
Olmo, a £51million recruit from RB Leipzig, was left out of Barcelona’s squad for the season-opening fixture against Valencia, which they won 2-1.
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As soon as it became clear that Barcelona were trying to move Gundogan on, the player got in touch with Guardiola to see if he would be welcomed back at City, where he spent seven trophy-laden years before moving to the Catalan club in the summer of 2023 on a free transfer.
There was interest in Gundogan from Al-Nassr, the Saudi Arabian team for whom Cristiano Ronaldo plays, but the midfielder would prefer to return to City even though he could earn a huge pay rise by moving to the Middle East. The Turkish club Galatasaray are also interested in him.
Guardiola gave the green light to Gundogan’s return and it is understood that one of the midfielder’s representatives is already in England to discuss personal terms with City officials.
Gundogan, who captained City in his final season at the club, has two years remaining on his Barcelona contract. The midfielder did not take part in their training session on Tuesday, which is a further indication that he is set to leave.
He enjoyed a stellar spell at City, becoming the first captain to lift the Champions League in the club’s history. Gundogan also won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups after joining them from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 for £20million.
During his time at City, Gundogan was deployed largely in the No8 position but showed his tactical flexibility by also playing in the No10 role, as a false nine or as a holding midfielder. It is this flexibility and his leadership qualities that make his return such an attractive proposition for Guardiola, even though he turns 34 in October.
Guardiola recently admitted that he did not have many alternatives to Rodri — Mateo Kovacic played in the holding midfield role against Chelsea because the Spain international lacked fitness — so Gundogan could fulfil that role when Rodri is unavailable.
He is more likely to slot straight back into the No8 position, though, with Rodri behind him and Kevin De Bruyne or Phil Foden playing at No10.
Bernardo Silva played in the No8 role at Stamford Bridge but is arguably more effective out on the right wing or as a No10. Savinho, the 20-year-old summer signing from Troyes, started Sunday’s match on the left wing, before moving to the right, with Jérémy Doku, 22, on the other flank. City have another exciting right winger in the 21-year-old Norway international Oscar Bobb but he is out for three to four months after breaking a bone in his leg.
All three are talented yet raw players, but if Guardiola prefers to operate with a more experienced and controlling front six in the future he could go with Rodri, Gundogan and De Bruyne in midfield, Silva on the right and Foden or Jack Grealish on the left, with Erling Haaland at centre forward.
Having another flexible midfielder in the ranks also helps Guardiola deal with the loss of Julián Álvarez to Atletico Madrid. The Argentina international was initially signed as a backup striker to Haaland but often ended up playing on the right wing or at No10.