Since the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Cole Palmer, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte left Manchester City in the summer of 2023, they have failed to succeed on a collective level.
In Gundogan’s case, while he was arguably Barcelona’s best player last season, he would have been frustrated by not winning a single trophy during his debut campaign at the club.
Especially off the back of a season where the German had captained Manchester City to winning the treble, the Catalan side’s underwhelming displays would have meant he was puzzled.
Similarly, Riyad Mahrez would also have been perturbed to have witnessed his Al-Ahli side finish as many as 31 points behind Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal in third place.
In July, it was reported that Atletico Madrid were interested in signing Aymeric Laporte but it seems like he is set to stay at Al-Nassr, who finished second in the league last season.
As for Cole Palmer, he seems content at Chelsea, having recently signed a two-year contract extension until 2033 despite the club seeming like it is in freefall.
Romano shares what he knows about Gundogan future at Barcelona
Palmer, 22, however is still a young player and has plenty of time to win silverware in his career.
In Laporte and Mahrez’s cases, even if they were looking to win trophies, at the end of the day, they are no longer playing European football.
However, Gundogan’s frustration perhaps would have increased by the fact that unlike Mahrez and Laporte, he is playing in Europe and as a result, he would have wishes to win more silverware in Spain.
With Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappe this summer, it seems like Hansi Flick’s side might have to be content with second place in La Liga once again.
Fabrizio Romano has now reported that there is a possibility that Gundogan can depart Barcelona before the end of the summer transfer window.
The Spanish side are believed to be open to letting him leave the club.
Future destinations are “being explored” by Gundogan’s camp, as per Romano.
Interesting to discover if Man City would fancy Ilkay Gundogan return
If Gundogan was open to the idea of a return to the club, it would be fascinated to see if Manchester City’s feelings were mutual.
On one hand, one would expect City to always keep their doors open for their legendary midfielder.
But then again, whether the Sky Blues would do so in a playing capacity for the silky technician at 33 years of age is a mystery.
Considering a player like Matheus Nunes is yet to find his feet at Manchester City, it would be interesting to see if the club feel Gundogan’s return could elevate them as a side once again.
