Barcelona may be drowning in financial calamities but that has not stopped them from preparing a shortlist of players they want to recruit when the summer transfer window opens.
The newest member to the shortlist is Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan whose contract with the Citizens expires in June and talks of an extension have been too slow that his exit is almost guaranteed.
Barcelona are confident they will land the 32-year-old’s signature this summer and sources from Spain say that the Catalan giants have already offered Gundogan a two-year contract with the option to extend for a year.
According to 90min.com, talks between Gundogan’s representatives and Barcelona are currently ongoing and pointing in a positive direction since the player’s family is keen on relocating to Spain.
The Manchester City captain was the first player to be signed by Pep Guardiola after his arrival at the club in June 2016 and has been an integral part of his midfield since then.
After bagging two goals against Leeds United on Saturday, Pep heaped praises on his captain and hopes he could stay at City longer as he enjoys working with him.
“I said about the contract, the club is involved and knows my opinion. They are above me, we take the decision together, good and bad. It’s not necessary if he scored two incredible goals, how good he played today, reading the spaces, he has everything – incredible run in the final third, how intelligent he is.
“It’s not necessary to score two goals to know exactly how I like this player and enjoy working with him and how I’d like to work with him in the future.” Pep said in the post-match address.
Barcelona are working to have the deal finalized as soon as this season ends.
