Ilkay Gundogan opens up on Man City delay that allowed FC Barcelona transfer

Manchester City lost their captain this summer when Ilkay Gundogan departed on a free transfer

Ilkay Gundogan admitted his situation ‘could have been different’ if Manchester City had moved sooner over an improved deal.

Gundogan left the Treble winners in summer at the expiry of his contract, joining Barcelona instead on a free transfer having been pursued by the Catalan club for years before that. As he settles in at his new club, the German spoke about how the different approach from the two clubs helped to convince him to leave after seven years at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola’s first signing as City boss always commanded the respect and appreciation of his manager, and last year was voted as the next club captain by his teammates following the departure of Fernandinho. However, Gundogan claimed that Guardiola’s backing did not translate into a better contract offer until the final months of the season when the players were focused on trying to win the Treble.

Despite the late nature of the offer – understood to be an improved two-year deal as opposed to the one-year contract that had been originally presented – City’s change did force Gundogan into a hard decision that he felt had to wait until the end of the season. That then meant that he had to communicate that he was leaving over the phone to Guardiola, and in a group chat to City players.

“I don’t want to go into the minute details, but it was quite late in the season,” he told BILD of City’s offer. “And when it comes to a Champions League quarter-final or semi-final, players want to concentrate purely on sport.

“I didn’t know what would happen next. I couldn’t plan anything. Pep’s appreciation was always there, but officially there was no movement from the club for a long time.

“Until May, there was little reason for me to want to change. The Treble was of course a crowning achievement. But that couldn’t have been planned.

“In the end, it wasn’t about a year or two. There was no problem with the running time.

“City waited a relatively long time until the talks really intensified. If this had happened a little earlier, the situation would have been different.”