Imminent Signing! Gündogan and Manchester City Have Reached an Agreement
It's only a matter of hours before the midfielder leaves Barcelona and returns to the club that was his home for seven seasons. He'll depart on a free transfer, but is waiving his salary.
German midfielder Ilkay Gündogan is set to return to Manchester City, with his move now imminent after reaching an agreement with his former club.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Gündogan is leaving Barcelona on a free transfer, with the Blaugrana club granting him a release and the player waiving the salary for the remaining two years of his contract.
The midfielder said his goodbyes to his Barcelona teammates on Wednesday and is traveling to Manchester to sign his new contract with Man City.
Gündogan's departure will allow Barcelona to register Dani Olmo in LaLiga, making this move more about creating financial 'fair play' than anything else.
The decision came after a meeting last week between Gündogan and Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, during which Flick couldn't guarantee the midfielder a permanent starting role in a team with a different tactical setup and needs compared to last season.
This necessity coincided with Barcelona's need to reduce their wage bill. Gündogan had one year left on his contract, with an additional season based on performance objectives, which he met by playing in 60% of the matches last year. His salary was around 20 million euros gross per season.
