Barcelona target has started renewal talks with Manchester City – report | OneFootball

In recent times, Barcelona have been looking at players from the Manchester City squad to bolster their squad.

Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia arrived from the Etihad Stadium in 2021 while Ferran Torres joined the Catalans in January last year. There was also interest in Joao Cancelo, but the right-back chose to sign for Bayern Munich last month.

Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva has been heavily linked with a move to Camp Nou for a while now. Another Manchester City star who has been on Barcelona’s radar in recent times is veteran midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.

The 32-year-old is in the final year of his contract with the Citizens and his potential availability on a Bosman deal has attracted the intention of Barça as well as several other clubs in Europe.

But, according to Sam Lee of The Athletic, Gundogan is not looking to leave Manchester City at this moment and has, in fact, started renewal talks with the reigning champions of England.

The report indicates that the German international is keen to stay at the Etihad Stadium following Pep Guardiola’s contract renewal earlier this season.

In addition to that, it is said that the midfielder’s wife is about to give birth, and as such, a sense of stability would be sought by the player and his family.

Barcelona, for their part, had identified Gundogan as a possible short-term replacement for club captain Sergio Busquets.

The 34-year-old veteran’s contract expires at the end of the season and even though Xavi wants to keep him at the club, the midfielder is leaning towards a transfer to the MLS.

Martin Zubimendi is Barça’s preferred target but his €60 million release clause makes the move complicated.

So, it remains to be seen who Barcelona decide to target in case Busquets ends up leaving in the summer. As things stand, Gundogan might not be a viable option as he is in talks to renew with Manchester City.