Sources: Man City interested in Gündogan reunion

Is it possible that Gundogan will depart Barcelona now that Olmo has joined?

Gab Marcotti and Don Hutchison discuss the speculation connecting Ilkay Gundogan to Jose Mourinho's Fenerbache while also mentioning that Barcelona may sign Dani Olmo if he decides to depart from the team. (0:22)

Rob Dawson, ReporterAugust 20, 2024, 09:39 in the morning

Manchester City is one of the teams looking into the chance of acquiring Ilkay Gündogan, as there are uncertainties about his future at Barcelona, according to sources who have informed ESPN.

Teams in Saudi Arabia, such as Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr, are also keen on the midfielder. He may depart Barcelona after only one season.

A person with knowledge of the situation has informed ESPN that Barcelona's coach, Hansi Flick, hopes the 33-year-old player will continue with the team. However, club executives are open to the possibility of letting him go if a suitable offer is made.

Gündogan played in 51 games last season for the team from Catalonia. He still has two years remaining on the contract he agreed to after leaving City as a free agent last year.

The city is thinking about adding another midfielder to the team since they have allowed Kalvin Phillips to go on loan to Ipswich Town for the season.

The team is also considering adding a new striker to the squad after Julián Álvarez left for Atlético Madrid and Oscar Bobb got injured. The Norway player is expected to be out for over three months.

The city really wanted to keep Gündogan last summer but he turned down several contract offers. Gündogan, who confirmed his retirement from international football on Monday, decided to move on.

He finally decided to transfer to Barcelona even though Arsenal was also interested in him. Gündogan departed from City after playing in over 300 games and winning the Premier League title five times during his seven years at the club.

Last season, Gündogan was an important member of the Barcelona team, but now his position is in jeopardy with the addition of Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig.

In the meantime, a report from ESPN suggests that Manchester City will probably not consider any offers for their captain Kyle Walker, even though Al Hilal is interested.

Walker was close to leaving the Etihad to go to Bayern Munich last year, but he chose to stay and signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2026.

According to ESPN, Al Hilal is looking to bring in a new full-back. They are hoping to make room for this player by getting rid of Renan Lodi, who used to play for Nottingham Forest. This way, they can have another foreign player in their team.

Nevertheless, City is unwilling to part with Walker so close to the transfer deadline, and is likely to turn down any offers that come their way.