Having missed out on the signing of Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona have made it a priority to sign Ilkay Gundogan of Manchester City in the summer transfer window.
The 32-year-old midfielder will become a free agent starting July 1 and the Catalans have made it a point to try and secure his services.
However, Manchester City are not going down without a fight and have made a contract renewal offer for their captain. And following their historic treble triumph, the chances of him staying at the Etihad may have increased.
Amidst this, Gerard Romero is reporting that Gundogan’s agent has asked Barcelona to provide a guarantee that the midfielder will be registered if he were to join the La Liga champions in the summer.
Previous reports have suggested that there is a verbal agreement between Barça and Gundogan over a three-year contract worth €27 million.
However, given the club’s Financial Fair Play issues, the La Liga champions cannot ascertain his registration unless they are able to offload some players in the coming weeks.
As such, the Manchester City captain’s agent is seeking reassurances that his registration will take place without any hitches if he were indeed to pen a contract to sign with the Blaugrana.
Messi’s entourage, too, had made similar requests before the Argentine captain decided to sign for Inter Miami.
And, Barcelona will hope to avoid the repeat of such an occurrence and provide Gundogan’s camp with all the assurances they need in order to secure his signing.
The 32-year-old treble-winning star is expected to make a decision on his future in the coming days. And with interest coming from Arsenal and Saudi Arabia, he is not short on options. But the decision is likely to come between one of Barcelona and Manchester City.
