Barcelona are said to be willing to let Ilkay Gundogan leave on a free transfer, with a return to Manchester City in the works.

Reports from Spain claimed over the weekend that Gundogan had handed in a transfer request amid friction behind the scenes at the Catalan club.

The midfielder has since been heavily linked with a return to City, who he left in order to join Barcelona back in 2023 upon the expiry of his contract.

Fabrizio Romano now reports Barca are willing to let Gundogan leave for free, even though he still has two years to run on his deal there, and City are now in talks with his agent in order to finalise an incredible return to the Etihad Stadium.

City manager Pep Guardiola has already given his approval to the deal, and other reports claim he has spoken directly to Gundogan. The decision is now up to the player, who is also wanted by other Premier League clubs, as well as teams from Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Gundogan is set to leave Barcelona having made 51 appearances in all competitions in one season with the club. He will depart without having won a trophy, however.

The same cannot be said of Gundogan’s City career, where he hoovered up 14 trophies across a memorable seven-year stay in Manchester. He was named captain for the 2022/23 season, his last at the club before heading to Barca.

While Gundogan is on the verge of an exit, Barcelona are hopeful of registering summer signing Dani Olmo with La Liga. The club’s ongoing financial woes have left them unable to add him to their official domestic squad as of yet.

They have also been linked with moves for Athletic Club’s Nico Williams and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao.

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