Over the past few weeks, there have been surprise rumours about Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, linking him with a move away to Galatasaray in Turkey, and more recently to Saudi Arabia.
The 33-year-old joined the Blaugrana only last summer and has quickly become an integral member of the setup under Xavi.
But, earlier this week, reports in Saudi Arabia emerged claiming that the German international was willing to make the jump to the Middle East, after having turned down an opportunity in the summer.
Gundogan’s agent shuts down
Much like he did with the Turkey rumours, Gundogan’s agent, Ilhan Gundogan, has reacted quickly to shut down the baseless talks about a possible move to Saudi Arabia for the 33-year-old midfielder.
When asked about the chatter surrounding a potential switch to the Middle East, the Barcelona star’s representative simply pointed everyone to refer to what manager Xavi Hernandez had said on the matter during his press conference on Friday.
“The best answer, that of the coach,” Gundogan’s representative said, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.
And what did Xavi say? When the question about Gundogan and Saudi Arabia was put forth to him on Friday, the Barça manager laughed it off, as he replied: “Gundogan is looking for a house here. Does a newspaper in [Saudi] Arabia say so? Wow.”
Gundogan happy at Barcelona
Gundogan signed a contract with Barcelona until the summer of 2025, with an option for a further year, and is happy at the club.
During the recent international break, when he was asked about the Turkey rumours, the former Manchester City captain had said: “I am very happy in Spain, in my club.”
So, as things stand, there is nothing to these rumours about him wanting to consider a move away to Saudi Arabia or Turkey.
