Barcelona-linked Manchester City midfielder yet to make a decision on his future | OneFootball

With each passing day, Sergio Busquets is inching closer to the expiry of his contract with FC Barcelona. The 34-year-old is yet to receive a proposal from the club despite Xavi’s insistence on retaining him for another season. With interest from MLS and Saudi Arabia, his future remains unresolved.

Amidst this, Barça are looking a several possible replacement targets in case they fail to keep hold of Busquets beyond this season. Several players like N’Golo Kante, Martin Zubimendi, and Ruben Neves have been linked to the La Liga leaders in recent times.

Another name that has been doing the rounds of late is that of Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan. The 32-year-old German international is in the final five months of his contract with the Premier League champions and has emerged on the radars of Barcelona.

There had been speculations that he was close to signing for Barcelona, while some other outlets have reported that the veteran midfielder is negotiating a new contract with Manchester City.

Fabrizio Romano has now provided an update on the situation surrounding Busquets and Gundogan, stating that Barcelona have a long list of players who they are looking at as possible replacements.

At the same time, the transfer expert adds that Gundogan is yet to decide his future amidst the constant rumours.

“Barcelona have a list of potential replacements in case Busquets leaves. They always follow many players,” Romano said. “However, despite rumours, Ilkay Gundogan has not made any decision on his future yet.”

While that might be the case, there is a strong chance that Gundogan opts to continue at the Etihad Stadium for at least another year, especially after seeing Pep Guardiola also renew his contract with Manchester City recently.

As far as a replacement for Busquets is concerned, as Romano states, Barcelona have a number of names on their list, but given their Financial Fair Play situation, it might prove tricky to rope in a top name in the summer if their captain leaves.