Ilkay Gündogan set to rejoin Manchester City after Barca exile

Premier League title favourites Manchester City are closing in on a deal to bring Ilkay Gündogan back to the club. The 33-year-old midfielder is set to leave Barcelona this week after the Catalan club told him that is not in their plans for this season.  
 
Gündogan joined Barcelona on a free transfer after he let his contract with Man City expire just 12 months ago.  

Gündogan chooses Man City 

Barcelona informed Ilkay Gündogan this week that he is not in the club’s plans for this season. The club told  the German international that needs to leave the club before the end of the transfer window.  
 
As soon as this news broke, clubs from Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Turkey reportedly were interested in signing Gündogan.  
 
Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s current club, were expected to make a huge move for Gündogan. The player was not interested though.  
 
Reports claim that if Gündogan was going to leave Barcelona, he would only leave to join Man City.  

Man City gets stronger 

With Gündogan’s intentions clear, the only thing left to do was to convince City to sign him. This apparently was not hard to do.  
 
Pep Guardiola allegedly jumped at the chance to bring Gündogan back to the club. It’s believed that he fought hard to keep the midfielder at City last season.  
 
At 33-years-old, Gündogan is still one of the best midfielders in the world. By bringing him back to the club, Pep and City are solidifying their chances of winning the Premier League again this season.  
 
PlayUp have Man City as favourites to retain their title this season at $2.10. One of the biggest arguments against the Cityzens winning it all again this season is their lack of depth up front.  
 
Without Julian Alvarez, who the club sold to Atletico Madrid, Erling Haaland is the only natural No. 9 at City.  
 
Gündogan doesn’t address that issue. However, his ability to play anywhere in the midfield gives Pep more flexibility to play someone like Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne in a false nine role instead of Haaland.  

Trouble at Barca 

Barcelona media and club sources have reported that Gündogan is being let go because he does not fit into new manager Hansi Flick’s system. Pretty much everyone else says Gündogan is being forced out because of the club’s financial issues.  
 
Reportedly, Barcelona will not be able to register Dani Olmo, who they signed for €55m (A$90.8m) this transfer window.  

Conclusion 

The betting sites currently have Barcelona as long shots to win La Liga this season. It’s hard to see how letting Gündogan go for Olmo closes the gap between themselves and Real Madrid. Only time will tell whether this gamble will pay off.