Ilkay Gundogan, 33, is leaving Manchester City. His next stop is FC Barcelona.
The British ‘BBC’ reported on May 22 (KST), “Manchester City captain Gundogan will join Barcelona as a free agent when his contract expires at the end of this month. He was offered a new contract by City, but discussed a more lucrative three-year deal with the ‘Spanish champions’,” the BBC reported.
“City boss Pep Guardiola was keen to re-sign Guendouane, who is vital to his side’s chances of achieving a treble in the 2022-2023 season. He scored 11 goals in 51 appearances last season, including six in the final seven games. He also scored a multi-goal performance in the FA Cup final against Manchester United, helping us to a 2-1 victory.”
Guendouzi joined City in 2016 from Dortmund, where he struggled with injuries in his first season, but has since been a consistent performer, helping the club to victory parades. He has also worn the captain’s armband since Fernandinho left the team a year ago.
He has won a whopping 14 trophies with City. In 304 appearances over the past seven seasons, Guendouane has scored 60 goals and provided 40 assists, winning five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four EFL Cups, and two FA Community Shields. And recently, he fulfilled a long-held dream by beating Inter Milan to win the UEFA Champions League.
Guardiola publicly launched a bid to keep hold of Guendouane earlier this month, saying after the FA Cup win, “The board of directors are working to re-sign him. I hope they are successful.” Gündoğan also expressed his loyalty to City and left the door open for the future 먹튀검증.
But his final choice was Barcelona. The terms of the contract were crucial. According to the BBC and Spanish outlet Relevo, City offered Gundogan a one-and-a-half-year contract, while Barcelona offered him a two-and-a-half-year deal. In the end, it was Barcelona who got the better deal.
As the BBC’s Simon Stone explains, “It comes down to simple economics. “City wanted Guindoan to stay, but they didn’t want to hold on to him at any cost. He’s not going to get any better from here,” said Simon Stone of the BBC. “City can bring in other quality players and are on the verge of signing Mateo Kovacic. Guendouane will go down as a City legend like David Silva, Yaya Toure and Vincent Kompany.”
Meanwhile, City have already found a replacement for their captain. Kovacic has been anchoring the Chelsea midfield since 2019. “City will sign Kovacic for a basic fee of £25 million with an option for a further £5 million,” says the BBC, “and his arrival will ease the impact of Gundogan’s departure.” 메이저놀이터추천