Gundogan ‘seeks return’ to Manchester City FC

German footballer Ilkay Gundogan is reported to be irritated by his lack of game time at Barcelona FC resulting is him making a request to go back to his former club, Manchester City. Gundogan, 33, was absent from Barcelona’s line-up for the opening match in the Spanish League against Valencia on Saturday evening, which Barcelona won 2-1.

The Catalan newspaper Sport revealed on Sunday that Gundogan met with the Barcelona coach, his fellow German Hansi Flick, to explain why he wants to leave the club. His contract still has another season to run, ending in Summer 2025 with the option to extend for an additional year, and he has one of the highest salaries on the team.

The same source added that Gundogan has doubts about his role on the field in Flick’s team. Flick took over from Xavi Hernandez this summer. The player was a pillar of the Barcelona team under Hernandez, as well as the German national team and is well respected in the football world.

The source noted that the Catalan club signed Spanish player Dani Olmo during the current summer transfer window, which irritated Gundogan, who perhaps sees him as a younger player bought as his replacement.

According to Radio Catalonia, Gundogan, contacted Manchester City officials this week, to find out their position regarding the possibility of his return to the Etihad Stadium. “There were positive responses from Manchester City regarding the return of their former team captain,” claimed the station.

Gundogan received an offer from Qatar’s Al-Sadd FC this summer but opted to stay with Barcelona, which he joined last year on a free transfer at the end of his contract with the English Premier League team.

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