Ilkay Gündogan leaves FC Barcelona and makes his big return to Manchester City!

They say that love lasts seven years. We were almost tempted to believe it after Ilkay Gündogan left Manchester City. For seven seasons, the German defended the colors of the residents of the Etihad Stadium. With them, he won many trophies, including the famous Premier League-Champions League-FA Cup treble in 2023. Three trophies that he lifted as captain of Pep Guardiola’s team. But after several years of good and loyal service, the former Borussia Dortmund player felt that it was time to take on a new challenge. At the end of his contract, he decided to leave the Citizens, much to the dismay of Guardiola, who wanted to keep him.

Free, he signed for FC Barcelona, ​​who made his arrival official on June 26, 2023. In the process, the German midfielder explained the reasons for his departure from City. “I’m honest. And many people don’t know this: in the end, it wasn’t a matter of a year or two. There was no problem with the length of the extension. City waited a relatively long time before the talks really intensified. If it had happened a little earlier, the situation would have been different. I don’t want to go into too much detail, but it was quite late in the season. And when it comes to a Champions League quarter-final or semi-final, players want to focus only on the sport. I didn’t know what was going to happen next. I couldn’t plan anything. Pep’s appreciation was always there, but officially there was no movement from the club for a long time.”

Gundo comes home

Launched into a new adventure in Spain, “Gundo” did not appreciate not being surrounded by the club with his family when he settled in Catalonia. Then, his frankness did not necessarily meet with unanimous approval in the locker room, where some did not like his statements about Ronald Araujo after the elimination in the Champions League against PSG. Despite everything, the former German international, since he has just retired, was an element on which Xavi relied a lot. Last year, he played 49 matches in all competitions, including 43 as a starter. The time to score 5 goals and provide 13 assists. Which was very good, but not enough in the eyes of Barça, who did everything to push him to leave, for financial reasons in particular.

After refusing to leave for a while, the 33-year-old finally gave in. Approached by Al-Ittihad, Galatasaray and clubs in Qatar, he finally returned to Manchester City, who opened the door wide for him. The news has just been made official. “Manchester City have reached an agreement to re-sign Ilkay Gundogan from Barcelona on a one-year contract, subject to international clearance”we can read on the official website of the Mancunian club. Pep Guardiola recovers a player he knows well and who knows his group and the Premier League perfectly. After seven years and a separation of one season, love is therefore reborn from its ashes between the German and the Mancunians.