Man City deal to sign 33 y/o midfielder ‘imminent’ as Pep Guardiola greenlights astonishing Barcelona raid

Manchester City have had a quiet transfer window because Pep Guardiola is happy with his world-class squad, but Ilkay Gundogan could return to the Etihad this summer.

Sources have informed TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Fraser (Fletcher) Gillan that Man City are in discussions with Barcelona over a deal for the midfielder.

We understand that Gundogan is assessing his options after Barcelona made it clear to him that he can leave the club this summer.

Clubs from the Saudi Pro League and MLS are keeping an eye on his situation, as well as some from around Europe, but the Cityzens are in the strongest position.

Man City are in talks with the Catalans to establish the conditions of a potential deal and have made clear the Gundogan’s agents that they would like to bring him back to the Etihad.

TEAMtalk sources say that the deal hinges on two factors – whether or not Gundogan wants to rejoin his former club and whether a reasonable fee can be agreed for his signing.

Agency KIN Partners are the representatives of the 33-year-old and sources close to them have stated they are “speaking with multiple clubs but the relationship with City and Pep is hard to ignore.”

EURO PAPER TALK: Liverpool target outrageous quadruple deal to end window in style; big Man Utd transfer abandoned over fitness issues

Gundogan to Man City ‘imminent’

Barcelona are keen to register new signing Dani Olmo as soon as possible but need to offload a player to do so – and selling Gundogan is seen as the best way to do that.

The 33-year-old’s future will be decided before the transfer window closes and as we exclusively revealed on Monday, Guardiola has a strong relationship with Gundogan and has green-lit the move to bring the experienced midfielder back to the Etihad.

Gundogan won multiple honours during his previous spell at Man City including a clean sweep of all domestic trophies and the club’s first Champions League.

Catalonian outlet RAC 1 provide more information on the potential transfer and claims that Gundogan’s return to Man City is now ‘imminent.’

They suggest that the German has already decided to reunite with Guardiola at the Etihad, but it remains to be seen what transfer fee will be agreed upon.

Gundogan joined Barcelona on a free transfer after his contract with Man City came to an end last summer.

He has made a total of 51 appearances for the LaLiga giants and notched five goals and made 14 assists in the process, but isn’t part of new manager Hansi Flick’s plans.

FULL BREAKDOWN: All the done deals by Premier League clubs in the summer 2024 transfer window