Ilkay Gundogan's agent opens up on Barcelona links
By Sean Walsh
The agent of Manchester City agent Ilkay Gundogan has played down talk that the midfielder has reached a 'full agreement' with Barcelona.
Gundogan's contract at the Etihad Stadium expires in the summer and is therefore free to discuss offers with foreign clubs.
He has long been linked with a free transfer to Barça. 90min reported on Friday that a formal agreement to join La Blaugrana has not yet been reached, but one is close.
Barcelona's financial woes mean signing players without a transfer fee is appealing - they brought in Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie on Bosman deals last summer.
Speaking to Spanish outlet AS, Gundogan's agent provided an update on his client's future, insisting nothing has yet been finalised.
"I'm surprised about the news regarding an agreement being closed as there's no full agreement with any club now," he said.
"It is not yet decided where he will play in the coming seasons. His only focus right now is on Manchester City."
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Gundogan and Man City are still competing on three fronts as they go in search of the treble.
They currently trail Premier League leaders Arsenal by six points, though have a game in hand on the Gunners and welcome them to the Etihad Stadium later this month.
Man City face Sheffield United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup next week, and they have one foot in the last four of the UEFA Champions League after beating Bayern Munich 3-0 on Tuesday night.
Ilkay Gundogan's Man City improvement
Over the last few seasons, Gundogan has become one of Man City's most dependable players.
His first few campaigns in England were disrupted by injury, while he failed to regularly start over the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva.
But he has since blossomed into one of the world's elite midfielders, and while he is still victim to Pep Guardiola's 'FPL roulette' every so often, Gundogan is often one of the first names on the team-sheet.
Season | Games played | Minutes | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2016/17 | 16 | 1,230 | 5 | 2 |
2017/18 | 48 | 2,754 | 6 | 7 |
2018/19 | 51 | 3,387 | 6 | 8 |
2019/20 | 50 | 3,551 | 5 | 5 |
2020/21 | 46 | 3,383 | 17 | 5 |
2021/22 | 43 | 3,021 | 10 | 6 |
2022/23* | 40 | 2,922 | 5 | 5 |
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