Ilkay Gundogan 'agrees sensational return to Manchester City'

Ilkay Gundogan is set to make a sensational return to Manchester City as the Premier League champions reportedly have a 'deal in place' to secure the German star on a one-year deal.

The move would see the midfielder head back to the Etihad, where he won five Premier League titles and a Champions League, just one year after he made the switch to Barcelona. 

He has endured a tricky spell at the Catalan side having signed a deal lasting two years when he ended his seven-year stay at the Etihad and is now into the final year of his contract.

The German international was left out of manager Hansi Flick's side to take on Valencia over the weekend, accelerating his desire for a move.

And now Gundogan looks to be bound for a dramatic reunion with Pep Guardiola at City after the two sides hashed out a contract lasting until June 2025, as per Fabrizio Romano. 

He added: 'Agreement reached after positive talks in last 48h and Pep Guardiola said yes, as revealed yesterday.

'Gündogan will leave Barça for FREE.'

The move comes as a shock with City maintaining all summer that they are happy with the current squad and any transfer business is likely to come from an unexpected developing situation later in the window.

The potential of Gundogan departing Catalonia only arose over the weekend, with the 33-year-old already having interest from clubs in Turkey and Saudi Arabia – including Al Nassr, home of Cristiano Ronaldo, Aymeric Laporte and Sadio Mane.

Guardiola intimated last week that he was hoping for a reinforcement following Julian Alvarez's move to Atletico Madrid, while the Premier League champions have struggled to find a suitable back-up for Rodri in defensive midfield.

Mateo Kovacic deputised in that position during the 2-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday and Gundogan would also fit the bill of being capable of playing anywhere in central midfield.

The Germany international was Guardiola's first signing as manager and spent seven years at City, ending as captain during the Treble campaign in 2023.

Gundogan met up with his old teammates and manager before a pre-season friendly between the two sides in Orlando just over a fortnight ago.

The midfielder has endured a tough spell at the Spanish giants, scoring just five goals in 51 appearances and undergoing his first trophy-less season in seven years.

Barcelona have brought in Euro 2024 star Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig in the same position as the German but manager and compatriot Hansi Flick said over the weekend that he expected Gundogan to stay in LaLiga.

'I think he's gonna end up staying at Barca,' he said.

'He was out tonight as he had some discomfort. 

'I spoke to Ilkay, but that stays between us as it's private conversation.' 

But a report from Sport later claimed the midfielder told the coaching staff that he had had 'enough' and was hoping all parties could help him find an exit from the club.  

Now it seems that move has been completed and Gundogan will be keen to add to the 14 trophies he won at the Etihad. 

According to Mundo Deportivo, Gundogan earns around €20m-a-year (£17m-a-year) at Barcelona, and is categorised as a 'franchise player' due to his salary being over five per cent of the club's total wage bill.

The Spanish outfit have been battling with money issues for a number of seasons, and were fined £434,000 for breaching UEFA's financial rules last year.

Therefore, they find themselves in a 'desperate' situation where they need to raise funds just to register players, including Olmo.

Getting rid of Gundogan would reportedly free up €14m (£12m) in the club's fair play budget, and could allow Barcelona to reinvest 70 per cent of these savings into new signings.