Ilkay Gundogan agrees to join Barcelona deal with one get-out clause

Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan has reportedly given the green light to join Barcelona, as per the latest out of Catalonia.

Toni Juanmarti claims that Gundogan has told Barcelona that he wants to join the club, and is ready to sign on the dotted line.

However the deal is not yet done. Barcelona are supposedly working against the clock to be able to free up money and register Gundogan, with their current salary limit restrictions preventing them from doing so.

Gündogan:

Ha dicho SÍ a querer firmar por el Barça… pero calma.

El club trabaja a contracorriente para poder inscribirle lo antes posible. Si no se logra en X días, como es lógico, Ilkay quiere tener la libertad de emprender otra dirección.

La pelota, en el tejado del Barça.

— Toni Juanmartí (@tjuanmarti) June 21, 2023

The deal hinges on them being able to do so. Gundogan is clear that if Barcelona have not managed to register his contract in a certain period of time, then he reserves the right to withdraw his agreement, and take his talents elsewhere. City and Arsenal are the other two teams in with a chance of signing him, while Saudi Arabia have also been linked with him.

This is a major step for Barcelona, who in theory have done the hard work in persuading Gundogan to come to the club. However the numbers will not change through sheer good intention, and the likes of Director of Football Mateu Alemany must now ensure that they sell or loan one or two players in order not to lose out on Gundogan. Doing so knowing that Barcelona were Gundogan’s first choice would be even more frustrating for the Blaugrana.