FC Barcelona News
Months ago, the Barcelona sports administration, in conjunction with the coaching staff led by Xavi Hernandez, designed the team’s form for the next season.
It is doing so knowing the difficulties the club may face in registering players and adhering to the need to reduce the first-team salary bill significantly.
This is why they are so interested in the free players market. They have already succeeded in the past year, signing players like Christensen and Kessie for free in this way.
One of the lines that coaches want to strengthen, regardless of Sergio Busquets’ decision to continue or not to continue for another year as a Barcelona player, is the midfield.
Xavi wants more skill in midfield. More if possible after experiencing Pedri’s injury, since the Canary player was absent, as happened in the previous year, Barcelona lost a lot of balance.
Xavi’s favorite deal in midfield has always been Bernardo Silva, but the Portuguese seems out of reach for Barcelona. That’s why so much progress has been made with another Manchester City player whose contract expires on June 30: Ilkay Gundogan.
The 32-year-old Germany international is a regular in Pep Guardiola’s team and Manchester City would be happy to see him continue for another year. He has played 37 matches this season, scoring four goals and providing four assists.
Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain are ready to give him a contract renewal for one season at City, but they suspect that the German has already decided to end his career at the English club, which he joined in 2016 for 27 million euros from Borussia Dortmund.
They believe that he does not want to continue and that he has decided to join Barcelona, a team he has always wanted to play for and whose style he has admired. Also, his wife seems tired of living in England, preferring a change of scenery and Barcelona would be an ideal destination.
Contacts between Barcelona and Gundogan have existed for months, and negotiations are progressing at a good pace. The Blaugrana club are willing to give the Germany international a two-year contract, more than Manchester City can offer.
Of course, any agreement will always be subject to Barcelona’s ability to solve the problem it has with FFP and La Liga allowing it to sign players on the next market. He’s working on it, and is already looking to cut his wage bill by €200m.
One of the reasons why Gundogan is such a popular reinforcement at Barcelona is that he can play in any of the midfield positions. The German feels very comfortable playing inside, in advanced positions and seeks to connect with attackers.
But he also plays well when it’s his turn to build up play in a more late position. That is, where Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong usually play when Xavi decides to play with four midfielders.
Source: Sport
