Barcelona are desperate to get a deal for Ilkay Gundogan over the line as soon as possible, as he moves up the priority list, following Lionel Messi’s snub.
Gundogan, 32, has been in sensational form for Manchester City this season, and is on the verge of captaining them to an historic treble. On Saturday, they will face Inter in the Champions League, their last obstacle to doing so.
Now that Messi is no longer an option, Barcelona’s attention has turned to Gundogan. He would fill one of the two priorities that manager Xavi Hernandez has highlighted for the summer. The Catalan daily claim there is already enough space in their salary limit to accommodate his signing.
According to MD, they are keen to close the deal as soon as they can. That could be as soon as after the Champions League final, when they hope to announce it. His signing would not only boost morale at Camp Nou, but also give City less time to react and tempt him to stay, rather than sign a three-year deal with the Blaugrana.
This seems rather difficult for Barcelona to pull off, as no doubt Gundogan is not dealing with his future in the final days before the Champions League final. In addition, his agent Ilhan Gundogan recently denied that he had an agreement with anyone, stating that he would be doing so ahead of the final.
