Ilkay Gundogan enjoyed a highly successful debut season with FC Barcelona after joining on a free transfer from Manchester City last summer. Guided by head coach Xavi Hernandez, the 33-year-old midfielder played a crucial role in the team’s performance, participating in 46 matches across different competitions. During these appearances, he scored five goals and provided 13 assists. However, despite his significant contributions, Barcelona narrowly missed out on the La Liga title, finishing behind their rivals, Real Madrid.
At present, Gundogan is representing Germany in the Euro 2024 tournament, where he has started off impressively, contributing both goals and assists as his team finished at the top of their group. Nonetheless, his future at Barcelona has become uncertain due to the club’s ongoing financial difficulties.
According to the sports newspaper SPORT, Barcelona is open to considering offers for Gundogan just one year after his arrival. This move is driven by the club’s need to comply with financial fair play regulations.
The report indicates that while Gundogan is highly valued by Barcelona, particularly as they prepare for Hansi Flick’s first season as manager, very few players are considered untouchable when it comes to potential sales.
It has been noted that Gundogan himself has not shown any inclination to leave Barcelona, despite receiving several lucrative offers. Nevertheless, should he decide to depart, the club would be willing to facilitate his transfer. Any fee generated from such a transfer would be entirely profit for Barcelona.
The club’s main objective is reportedly to reduce their wage expenses before the new season begins.
In light of the club’s financial challenges, emerging talents from Barcelona’s famed youth academy, such as Gavi, Lamine Yamal, and Pau Cubarsi, have helped reduce the necessity for new signings.
Meanwhile, key players like Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo continue to attract interest from several Premier League clubs, indicating potential moves away from Barcelona.
La Liga president Javier Tebas has underscored the need for Barcelona to sell some of their star players to adhere to financial regulations. He stated, “They have two or three top-class players they can sell. If they do, they can resolve a significant part of their issues. This would generate income without accruing interest on debt and enable them to meet player payments.”
