Manchester City midfielder a ‘very likely option’ for Barcelona for the summer – report

Earlier this week, Barcelona officials were spotted in a meeting with the representative of Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, sparking a lot of speculations.

Director Mateu Alemany played down the matter, stating that he met with Ilhan Gundogan, the uncle of the Man City captain, in order to discuss another client of his – Andreas Christensen.

While Alemany might be keeping his cards close to his chest, Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Gundogan is a ‘very likely’ option for Barcelona for the summer transfer window.

The 32-year-old is in the final year of his contract with Manchester City and while talks about a renewal have been doing the rounds, there is no development on that front as of yet.

It leaves the door open for Barcelona to make a play for the Bosman signing of the German international.

By this point, it is well-established that the Blaugrana will once again be looking at the free-agent pool in the summer for reinforcements.

With Sergio Busquets yet to renew, a new midfielder would become an important acquisition for the La Liga leaders if their captain decides to move on.

Barcelona consider that the 32-year-old still has a few years left at the highest level and his ability to play in multiple positions in the centre of the park makes him an interesting choice.

On top of that, Gundogan’s experience is seen as an asset, as it would help younger midfielders like Pedri, Gavi, Pablo Torre and Nico Gonzalez. Given that he would arrive for free, the German ace is seen as an enticing opportunity by the Catalans.

The report further adds that Barcelona have been in frequent contact with Gundogan’s camp, although the club continue to deny that there is any pre-contract agreement with the Manchester City captain.

Whether any of this leads to a summer move for Gundogan remains to be seen.