Veteran Star midfielder accepts a dramatic U-turn to his former club

Ilkay Gundogan's potential rumors regarding a move have been in the transfer market for quite a while now, but unlike previous times, the player has accepted his exit move. Not to mention, reports linking the veteran's future with Saudi or Turkish clubs have been ongoing, but the player's move looks much more imminent.

Until recently, Gundogan had conveyed that he would continue at the Blaugrana club this summer; however, the situation took a sharp turn when reports linking his return move to Manchester City started sounding prominent. As per the current scenario, Gundogan and his former club, Manchester City, have accepted the midfielder's move.

Ilkay Gundogan accepts a dramatic U-turn to his former club

A report of Mundo Deportivo indicated some days ago that the Blaugrana club doesn't count Gundogan and Raphinha structural in their sporting project, and now this has become the harsh reality. As per recent sources, Barcelona has now clearly informed Gundogan that he should leave in this transfer window.

The last few hours have been disheartening for the German veteran, as firstly he was informed to leave FC Barcelona, and hours later, he decided to hang his boots for Germany. Though speculations were raised about the midfielder's future, reports have established that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is open to welcoming Gundogan back at the club.

This is what transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had to say about Gundogan's move,

""I'm hearing Pep Guardiola would be really open to welcoming Gündogan back to City. Pep is seriously considering this possibility. Now it's time to talk to the player and his agents more than about money.""

- Fabrizio Romano

However, as per reports, Manchester City is open to signing Gündogan but has no plans to pay a transfer fee, the way Barca signed him a year ago. Considering Barca's interest in signing Joao Cancelo from the Etihad club, however, a possibility of a potential deal is in consideration, with no recent updates.

From Barcelona's perspective, Gundogan's exit move would help the club register their dream signing of the summer window, Dani Olmo. Considering the high salary of Ilkay Gundogan, his departure frees up 70% of his salary space, which would be crucial for the club to have the availability of Dani Olmo.

Even though Ilkay Gundogan is leaving the club, his gentlemanly behavior of understanding Barca's delicate financial situation and accepting a move will certainly be remembered for a long time in the club's long-lived history.