A claim has been made that Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan will likely seriously consider a transfer to Barcelona, despite his side being one game away from winning the treble.
Journalist Dean Jones was speaking about the £20 million (Guardian) man’s future on GiveMeSport, as his contract expires in the summer.
With Barcelona seeming keen on signing Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City, it has been indicated that he will give the move serious consideration.
Journalist: Ilkay Gundogan will seriously consider Barcelona transfer
Branded as a ‘clever player’ by Phil Foden, the German international has been linked with a transfer to Xavi’s side for the past couple of months.
In fact, it was reported four days ago that the Spanish giants had already agreed a deal to sign the 32-year-old ahead of next season.
Now, Dean Jones has said that despite many doubting why Ilkay Gundogan would leave Manchester City to join Barcelona, he would be giving the move serious consideration.
“It’s probably made into a bigger deal right now because Gundogan has had such big impacts and such big moments.”
“But, at the end of the day, if Barcelona are there for him, he’s going to seriously consider that. I don’t think anyone would be surprised by that fact.”
Manchester City need their captain to stay at all costs
While Pep Guardiola finds a way to create tactical solutions that ensure Manchester City continue to win the major honours, even a manager of his calibre may find it a challenge to find an alternative to Ilkay Gundogan.
Especially in this current setup, the FA Cup final hero has been pushed further up the pitch to ease the creative burden off Kevin De Bruyne’s shoulders whilst still having to control the tempo of games.
With not many, if any midfielders in the market being on Ilkay Gundogan’s level and Bernardo Silva’s future in the air as well, it would be a sizable task for any new signings in midfield to replicate the former’s impact.
As a result, City must ensure Gundogan stays put at the Etihad Stadium for at least another season.
