Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan has joined Barcelona on a free transfer – but he might end up returning to the Etihad Stadium before the start of the season.
Confused? Let Adam Clery of FFT explain more in the video above.
You see, gone are the days of a transfer being official simply when you see him holding up the shirt of his team. You can blame John Obi Mikel for that – but Barcelona have played their part, too.
To go back to the start on this one, Ilkay Gundogan's first-choice option was to stay at Manchester City. The Germany international was approaching the end of his deal this summer and at the age of 32, he wanted stability in his life over the next two or three years to remain in the Premier League, as Adam explains above.
The problem was that City didn't offer him the length of contract that he wanted. Barcelona did – but there's a clause within this deal. With Barcelona at risk of being unable to register all of the players they want to for La Liga next season due to the division's wage cap, there is the possibility that Gundogan could be forced to spend the first six months of his contract banned from even being in a matchday league squad.
And so, to counter this, Barça have inserted the option that the midfielder can walk away from the club for nothing before the start of the season if they are unable to register him. There is the chance that Pep Guardiola could get his captain back after all.
Would that make this the strangest transfer of all time?
More Manchester City stories
After securing a historic Treble, Manchester City transfer news is gathering steam ahead of next season.
Jude Bellingham reportedly turned down the new European champions after taking inspiration from Erling Haaland's career path – though Alphonso Davies could move to the Etihad Stadium. Bernardo Silva, meanwhile, is a target for Saudi Arabia, while Kyle Walker is wanted by Liverpool.
