Barcelona star Ilkay Gundogan has only been at the club for the past five months, but already is being linked with an exit from Catalonia.
Gundogan, 33, joined on a free from Manchester City, but things have not been smooth for the German midfielder thus far. While Barcelona as a whole have been below par, Gundogan in particular has looked a long way off his level of late, and has been moved around midfield frequently by Xavi. He was also the centre of attention after openly criticising his team following defeat in El Clasico, creating a tremendous amount of speculation.
According to Burhan Can Terzi, via Sport, Gundogan is desperate to move to Galatasaray before the end of his career, and met with the club after they played Bayern Munich in the Champions League to discuss their options. Reportedly Gundogan has told his agent that he wants to wear the Galatasaray shirt before he retires and is willing to speak to Barcelona about it. Galatasaray, who are naturally keen on bringing in a world class player, are willing to do what it takes to make the deal happen.
All of this may well be true, but it seems much more likely that this pertains to a potential move down the line. Gundogan signed a two-year deal with an option for a third with Barcelona, and it would be a major surprise if he were to leave the club so soon, even if it has been tough early on. Sara, his partner, also gave birth to a child over the summer, meaning that more upheaval after seven years in the same place would also be rather unexpected.
He already got tired of getting clapped in Clasicos?
Ahahahah