Ilkay Gündogan’s agent has denied the Manchester City midfielder has made a decision on his future after repeated suggestions that the Germany international is joining Barcelona this summer.
Gündogan’s contract expires in June and reports in Spain have claimed he has a pre-agreement with Barça. The La Liga leaders are interested in the former Borussia Dortmund player, but are also focusing on dealing with their financial problems by cutting their wage bill.
The situation around City’s captain remains open and could end with him extending his deal. The 32-year-old, who scored the goal that won City the Premier League title on the final day of last season, remains happy in Manchester and enjoys playing for Pep Guardiola.
“There’s definitely no agreement yet with any club,” said Ilhan Gündogan, the player’s uncle and agent. “The focus of Ilkay in recent weeks was only on Manchester City and the birth of his son. Now he is in the final and crucial phase of the season and is completely focused on that. Where Ilkay plays next season is still open.”
An important consideration for Gündogan, whose agent was filmed speaking to representatives from Barcelona last month, will be the length of his next deal, which is likely to inform where he ends his career.
Gündogan’s importance is clear to Guardiola, who has used him in many of City’s biggest games this season. Gündogan remains physically and mentally fresh. He considered his international future after Germany’s early exit from the World Cup, but decided to keep playing and is targeting a place in Hansi Flick’s squad for Euro 2024.
