When Barcelona were eliminated from the Champions League and Ronald Araujo received a straight red card for bringing down Bradley Barcola, effectively diminishing the Catalan club’s chances of progressing past Paris Saint-Germain, Ilkay Gundogan spoke out. The German criticized the Uruguayan defender, and the rest of the team publicly supported him, sparking a fire in the locker room that has been simmering ever since.The tensions have not subsided for months, and neither the departure of Xavi Hernandez nor the arrival of Hansi Flick has improved the situation or influenced the midfielder to change his opinion. All that was left was for him to formally request a transfer – which he has now done. According to Catalan Sport, Gundogan has informed the club’s sporting department that he wants to leave Barcelona by the end of the summer. Now, it seems the only question is who will be the first to make a move for the German international. And there is plenty of interest.##NAJAVA_MECA_8275741##Gundogan has already had his first round of talks with Flick and sporting director Deco, making it clear to them that they should neither try to convince him to stay nor delay the process. Barcelona’s first move was to leave the German out of last night’s match against Valencia; he did not travel with the squad and is not on the roster. Doubts are growing that health issues were the real reason…This doesn’t present a major problem for the Catalan club, as it is expected that Dani Olmo or another Spanish international will take his place for the rest of the season. Flick has enough material in midfield; at least in that area, there is no shortage of options. A potential transfer of the German by the end of the summer could also help resolve Barcelona’s player registration issues.Therefore, Barcelona has no reason to oppose an outgoing transfer, they just need to receive an official offer, which has yet to arrive.Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says he spoke with Ilkay Gündogan and that he thinks he will stay at the club despite sitting out Saturday’s opener.Sources close to Gündogan say he missed the Valencia game due to headaches and dizziness in training. https://t.co/EBTQfMgeHW— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 18, 2024 Although Dursun Özbek, the president of Galatasaray, publicly stated at the end of May that signing Gundogan was a top priority for him, no concrete move has been made yet.”We need to sign three players to be competitive in the Champions League. Perhaps the time has come to complete my dream signing, to bring in Ilkay Gundogan,” said the head of the Istanbul giant.There are indications that another giant from the Bosphorus – Fenerbahçe – might join the race for the signature of the German midfielder! For now, Turkey seems like the most realistic destination, but clubs from Saudi Arabia cannot and should not be ruled out. They will certainly see their opportunity. What Barcelona needs to come to terms with is that they won’t be getting the 400 million euros defined by his release clause. Not even close. But there will be compensation.
