Ilkay Gundogan close to Man City transfer
Our reporter Michael Plant has the latest on Manchester City's interest in Ilkay Gundogan as a transfer from Barcelona looms.
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00:00So Manchester City are closing in on their second summer signing off the window with
00:04the return of former captain Ilkay Gundogan. That is not a sentence I expected to say even
00:09at the end of last week. This is a transfer that has moved pretty quickly to be honest
00:14with you because at the end of last week reports emerged from Spain that Barcelona were keen
00:18to move the player on due to their financial situation and then quickly reports started
00:23coming in that City were interested in signing Gundogan from Barcelona. The Athletic have
00:27reported that the player was so keen actually to secure a move to City that he has agreed
00:33to forego the last two years of his contract with Barcelona with the payment that he was
00:38owed from those final two years. So it's all moved pretty quickly and we have had to confirm
00:43this now on Manchester World that this transfer is expected to go through in the next couple
00:47of days probably even potentially in time for City's upcoming Premier League game against
00:51Ipswich at the weekend. And it does feel like a pretty impromptu sign in for Manchester
00:56City who are in the market for a new central midfielder. Pep Guardiola spoke about that
01:02last weekend in his press conference. He said that if the right player became available
01:06City would be interested. And for Gundogan to arrive a year on from leaving City, of
01:11course he ended his term with the Premier League champions by guiding them to a treble
01:17and that first Champions League trophy. So for him to return on a free, it does feel
01:21like a bit of a no-brainer for City and there's certainly plenty of advantages to that transfer.
01:25The big one being that he will come in and immediately offer cover for Rodri at the base
01:30of midfield. But he's also a player that Pep Guardiola absolutely loves. He's spoken about
01:34his trust in the player and knows that he is a player who will just come in and seamlessly
01:41slip back in, do a job for him and it's a transfer that really does tick a number of
01:45boxes for City. I do think there are a couple of aspects that maybe should raise a little
01:51bit of concern for City fans. I think the fact that we're so late into the transfer
01:55window and City didn't have an option to replace Rodri lined up is a slight concern,
02:01although Guardiola did say he was happy with the squad. But I think that we've gone in
02:05with 10 days left in the window and City are still looking for an option. Perhaps isn't
02:09the best way to run the transfer market this summer in my eyes. And I think as well that
02:16Gundogan, as good an option as he is, he's not quite a like-for-like replacement for
02:21Rodri. And it means that, you know, I still think that there's certainly in the big games
02:25that I wonder whether Pep Guardiola would be 100% confident with putting him into that
02:29role at the base of midfield. I do also probably think it means a little bit less game time
02:34now for James McAtee and Nico O'Reilly, two players who impressed in pre-season and Pep
02:38Guardiola spoke about them getting game opportunities this time around. And I think in general City
02:44are, you know, a club that plan their transfer strategy so well. And the fact that we've
02:49got into, as I say, the last 10 days of the window, City looking for an option to bring
02:52a player in. It's actually quite unlike them. It's very unlike City to also turn to a short-term
02:57solution. And 33-year-old Ilkay Gundogan, it's not a long-term signing. You know, you
03:02suspect that it does really leave them with long-term positions to fill. You've got Gundogan,
03:08who will be 34 by the end of the season. Kyle Walker will be 35. Kevin De Bruyne is obviously
03:13getting on as well. Ederson, Bernardo Silva. So there are starting to become a couple of
03:16players that City will need to look to replace. But I think in the short term, it is a good
03:21transfer for City. It brings obvious quality. There's no doubt in that. And it will be a sign
03:26in that Guardiola will just immediately be able to click his fingers and put him in. So lots of
03:30positives for City with a couple of question marks, I think, about the long term. But yeah,
03:34we're expecting that one to move pretty quickly. And as always, we will be covering it on
03:37Manchester World. So make sure to check out the website and our social feeds for all the latest
03:41news regarding that one. And as we build up to this weekend's game against Ipswich in the Premier
03:45League.