Manchester City’s stance on potential Ilkay Gundogan transfer revealed | OneFootball

Ilkay Gundogan holds interest from his former club Manchester City over a potential return to the Etihad Stadium this summer, according to reliable new reports.

It follows information from Spanish media detailing an agreement struck between FC Barcelona and Ilkay Gundogan over a departure for the German midfielder this summer, in order to free up his salary for player registrations.

It is the latest move from the club to relieve some of the financial strain on their operation, whilst also balancing that with putting together a playing squad capable of challenging for the biggest honours under new manager Hansi Flick.

The most recent big-money signing into the Catalan club has seen Dani Olmo move to Barcelona from RB Leipzig in a €60 million agreement, although the 26-year-old was not registered with La Liga in time for their competition opener against Valencia on Saturday.

As such, decision are having to be made from within the football club to relieve the financial pressures on their first-team squad, and that is now likely to see Ilkay Gundogan forced out of their plans with many teams looking to take advantage of the situation.

According to the information of The Athletic’s Pol Ballus, Manchester City are interested in the possibility of bringing Ilkay Gundogan back to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

The latest development follows earlier information that revealed the 33-year-old was exploring his options ahead of a potential Barcelona exit, with interest from within the Premier League, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey.

Manchester City’s interest in midfield recruitment this summer has been known for several months, however to date the club have not progressed with their initial admiration in a number of profiles through concrete offers.

The club have twice turned down opportunities to sign Premier League midfield stars via release clauses this summer, with Bruno Guimaraes and Eberechi Eze both having seen their valuations expire at Newcastle United and Crystal Palace respectively.

Such has been the view taken that a player would not be coming in to support Rodri this summer that manager Pep Guardiola has already started work on sourcing solutions to the Spaniard via existing options.

Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly have been partnered throughout pre-season as well as in the Community Shield against Manchester United, whilst the Croatian was supported by Rico Lewis during phases of play against Chelsea in the 0-2 Premier League opener win on Sunday.