Senior midfielder Ilkay Gundogan reportedly wants to return to Manchester City after he was not included in the Barcelona squad against Valencia last weekend.
Barcelona started the Spanish League quite well after beating Valencia 2-1 at the Mestalla Stadium, Saturday (18/8/2024) local time.
However, Ilkay Gundogan was not named in the match. Hansi Flick, who is the new coach of Blaurgrana, reportedly did not include the German midfielder in the squat.
Flick’s decision certainly made Gundogan unhappy. Quoted from the Daily Mail based on a report by Sport, because of the deletion, Gundogan intends to return to his former club, Manchester City.
On the other hand, Pep Guardiola is reportedly open to plans to bring Gundogan back to Etihad. According to The Sun, Guardiola is looking for new energy after Oscar Bobb suffered a long injury.
Gundogan’s first season with Barcelona did not go smoothly. The 33-year-old failed to deliver a trophy for Blaugrana and only scored five goals in 51 matches played last season.
Gundogan’s future with Barcelona is increasingly disturbed after Hansi Flick brought in Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig.
Even so, the German coach hopes Gundogan can stay at Camp Nou this season. Flick also explained the reason Gundogan was absent against Valencia.
“I think he will stay at Barca. He was absent tonight because he felt uncomfortable,” said Flick.
“I spoke with Ilkay, but that’s just our secret because it’s a private conversation,” added Flick.
Other news circulating (The Athletic), Gundogan’s option to leave is also due to Barcelona’s unstable financial factors.
However, Sport claims Gundogan told the coaching staff that he had had enough at Barcelona. He hopes all parties will help him get out of Barcelona.
Apart from Man City, Gundogan has also been linked with other clubs such as Fenerbahce and even a Saudi Arabian club.
Photo source: forbes.com
