Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan increasingly likely to join Barcelona | OneFootball

Barcelona have made signing Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan one of their main priorities, reports The Athletic.

The Germany international is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

As a result, Barca are stepping up their efforts to sign the 32-year-old.

Some of those involved in negotiations over Gundogan’s future believe a move to the Camp Nou club is now likely.

Man City are still hoping the former Borussia Dortmund star would agree to an extension.

However, both parties have not been able to agree to the length of a new deal and personal terms.

Interestingly, Gundogan could be open to joining Barca on reduced wages if offered a long-term contract.

The Catalans are very interested in signing free agents in the summer.

They need to balance the books and reduce their present wage bill by up to €200million.

Manager Xavi was keen on Gundogan’s teammate Bernardo Silva last summer.

However, Barcelona did not table an offer due to the finances involved.

They reckon a deal for Gundogan makes sense for plenty of reasons.

The Man City star brings much-needed experience and quality to the table.

Barca could be forced to cash in on some of their midfielders due to their situation.

Bringing in the German could also help Pedri further unleash his attacking qualities.

Having won all the domestic trophies in England, the chance to move to Spain could appeal to Gundogan.

He has made almost 300 appearances since he joined Pep Guardiola’s side in 2016.

He has nothing else to prove in the Premier League, and Barca will pull out all the stops to get their hands on him.