The agent of Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan was spotted in Barcelona headquarters on Thursday as talks over his future continue, with the Catalan side keen to add the 32-year-old to their ranks this summer.
Gundogan, who was Pep Guardiola’s first Manchester City signing, is out of contract this summer as it stands, and is therefore free to enter into a pre-contract agreement with clubs around Europe before his contract at the Etihad ends in June.
And Barcelona are reportedly desperate to land the German as they continue to look to strengthen their squad through the free agent market, with Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso, Hector Bellerin and Franck Kessie all arriving by that method over the summer.
To that end, reporter Gerard Romero has revealed that the agent of the Manchester City star was spotted in the Barcelona headquarters as speculation surrounding a move ramps up with the midfielder’s contract plans in Manchester still unclear.
💣Avanza @JijantesFC
El agente de İlkay Gündoğan se ha reunido esta mañana con la dirección deportiva del Barça.
El futbolista queda libre este junio, y es una opción MUY REAL para reforzar la plantilla azulgrana este próximo verano#mercato #Barça pic.twitter.com/svkPUj5Eaw
— Gerard Romero (@gerardromero) February 16, 2023
KIN PARTNERS, the agency that Gundogan is managed by, also manage the affairs of current Barcelona star Andreas Christensen.
Gundogan keeping his options open
Speaking earlier in the season, Gundogan was keen to point out that he was not out of contract yet, and that he was keeping his options open for next season.
“I don’t know if it has anything to do with age but I’m pretty relaxed about it. Even if it doesn’t sound like much anymore, the summer of 2023 still feels so far away. I’m not really worried about that at the moment”, he added.
Manchester City are planning a midfield overhaul this summer, with both Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne now the wrong side of 30, but both remain key players for Guardiola this season, with the German having appeared 20 times in the Premier League so far this campaign.
