It’s no longer a question of if it will happen, but when it will happen! Ilkay Gundogan (33) is set to return to Manchester City after a one-year stint in Barcelona!The confirmations are pouring in from all sides, including from reputable outlets like The Athletic, which means that the potential move to Saudi Arabia – once considered a strong possibility – has been definitively ruled out.In the end, the decisive factor was the personal desire of the former German international (Ilkay has retired from international duty), who personally called Pep Guardiola to ask about returning. Pep enthusiastically welcomed the idea.##NAJAVA_MECA_8284392##Barcelona made the entire process much smoother by not standing in the way of the experienced midfielder. In fact, the Catalan club isn’t demanding any compensation (unlike what they would have required from the Saudi clubs) and will let Gundogan go for free. This will allow them to offload his substantial salary (around €18 million) and make room for the registration of Dani Olmo, as well as facilitate their pursuit of a top-class winger.Gundogan’s agents are currently at the Etihad Stadium, finalizing the terms of a one-year contract. The expectation is that everything will be wrapped up in record time so that Guardiola can potentially count on his former (and possibly future?) captain as early as Saturday’s match against Ipswich.It’s worth recalling that Gundogan had been unhappy in Barcelona since the end of last season. After a disagreement with Ronald Araújo, much of the locker room turned against him, leading him to consider leaving.BREAKING: Ilkay Gundogan is prioritising a return to #ManCity ahead of other proposals. Barcelona are expected to ease Gundogan’s departure, who is anticipated to leave for free.[via @polballus]— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) August 20, 2024 Everything that has transpired since (the signing of Olmo, the plan to invest in another winger) only accelerated the process.There are even rumors that Gundogan turned down a €50 million offer for two seasons in Saudi Arabia to return to Manchester City. Interestingly, when he left, City tried to find a replacement but failed, with Bruno Guimaraes proving too expensive.Now, it turns out that Gundogan is the replacement for… Gundogan.
