Former Manchester City captain IIkay Gundogan could be wrapping up his career prematurely with Barcelona after one season with the club.
The 33-year-old made a shock transfer exit from Manchester City last summer to the La Liga giants. Futballnews understands City were intent on keeping Gundogan on a new deal when his contract expired but he turned down the offer and opted for a move to Barcelona.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had rave reviews for the German footballer, and rightly so, for his contributions to the squad on and off the field. However, the Spaniard could do little as Gundogan made the swoop to Barcelona.
IIkay Gundogan’s first season at Barcelona
It was a rather disappointing campaign for Gundogan in his first season with Barcelona. The club ended the campaign without a silverware. They lost the 2024 Supercopa final to Real Madrid, crashed out of Copa Del Rey, lost the Champions League quarterfinals to PSG, and were pipped to the La Liga title by Real Madrid.
Gundogan made 36 La Liga appearances for Barcelona in the campaign, scoring 5 goals with 6 assists. He also bagged 4 assists in 10 Champions League matches, and one assist in two Supercopa de Espana appearances. Overall, it was not a downbeat individual campaign for the former Man City skipper
IIkay Gundogan asks to leave Barcelona
According to Spanish outlet, Sport, IIkay Gundogan has asked to leave Barcelona this summer. He was dropped from Barcelona’s 2024-25 opening La Liga match against Valencia.
Gundogan’s decision to leave Barcelona is not far from his current plight at the club. The former Borussia Dortmund baller is seriously considering his future at the club in the wake of recent changes.
Recall Barcelona parted ways with former manager Xavi Hernandez after a late fallout with the former Al-Saad manager. German and European football veteran Hansi Flick was hired to replace legendary culer. With a new hand in charge of the culers’ dugout, Gundogan must have fallen out of favor, hence the decision to call it a quit with the La Liga side.
Hansi Flick reacts to Gundogan’s exit call
New Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has reacted to reports of Gundogan’s call to leave the club. In a quote shared by Fabrizio Romano, Flick said he has spoken with Gundogan and hopes he stays at the club. On why he dropped the player from the Valencia match squad, he said the player had discomfort.
“I think he’s gonna end up staying at Barça”.
“He was out tonight as he had some discomfort…”.
“I spoke to Ilkay, but that stays between us as it’s private conversation”.
Note that Gundogan has only played one out of Hansi Flick’s five matches as Barcelona manager. While Hansi Flick has excused Gundogan’s lack of minutes for minor health issues, the larger picture is that the former Man City star will only play a bit-part role under Flick if he stays at the club.
What is next for IIkay Gundogan?
With the 2024-25 transfer window winding down, the future of the Barcelona midfielder will be a hot topic in the rumor mills. He has one year left on his contract and it is yet unclear whether he will stay or leave the club this summer. He has been linked to a move to Fenerbache with Jose Mourinho reportedly interested in securing his services.
