Guardiola comments on the future of Man City mainstay amid Barcelona links: “100% focused”

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he is unaware of Ilkay Gundogan’s decision as rumours around his potential move to Barcelona in the summer continue to gather steam.

Gundogan, 32, has a contract with Man City until June 2023, making him one of Barcelona’s top targets in the summer. 

It is believed that Barcelona are extremely optimistic about finding an agreement with the former Germany international. As reported before, the team is willing to hand him a two-year contract with the option of a further season.

As far as the player is concerned, he has repeatedly stated that nothing is decided at the moment.

“Barcelona deal done? My future is not yet decided — obviously, there are talks in the background. But I won’t go into details now. I have not signed anything yet.”

And now, his manager, Pep Guardiola, has said that while he is unsure about his midfielder’s future, he wishes the best for him.

“We still don’t know what’s gonna happen with Gundogan’s future,” the former Barça manager was quoted by journalist Fabrizio Romano.

“He’s 100% focused on the present. What’s going to happen in the future, is going to happen. The best for him, he’s going to deserve it,” he added.

Despite the uncertainty, Barcelona continue to treat Gundogan as a priority mostly because the future of a certain Sergio Busquets continues to hang in the air.

It must be noted that Gundogan was Guardiola’s first signing as Manchester City manager. Over the course of seven seasons, the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder has won four Premier League titles and as many league cups with Guardiola while also making nearly 300 appearances across all competitions.

At this stage, he might as well want to leave and if Manchester City manage to win the UEFA Champions League this season, there would be nothing major left for him to win, which would just be another reason for him to think about Barcelona.