Manchester City and Ilkay Gündogan have reached a comprehensive agreement to re-sign the German with the Premier League team.
Gundogan, 33, will sign a one-year deal with City, with the option of a further 12 months. He will leave Barcelona on a free transfer, just a year after joining City, as his contract with City expires in June 2023.
To make the move possible, Gündogan will forego the two remaining years of his salary owed to him by Barcelona. The third year of his contract began last season, when he played in more than 60 percent of the games.
Gündogan joined Barcelona last summer and made 36 appearances in his first season, but was told he was not part of new head coach Hansi Flick’s plans after the German replaced Xavi earlier in the summer. The athlete reported on Tuesday that City are favourites to bring back Gündogan as the midfielder has spoken to Pep Guardiola about a possible return to Manchester and the manager has given the green light to the move.
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Gundogan’s return to City is a no-brainer
In his first term at City, Gündogan made 188 appearances and won the Premier League title five times, the FA Cup twice and the Champions League once.
City had a quiet summer, with Brazilian international Savinho being the only new signing in the top flight as Julian Alvarez moved to Atletico Madrid.
They beat Chelsea in their opening game of the Premier League season and next face newcomers Ipswich Town on Saturday.
Gündogan announced his retirement from the German national team earlier this week after captaining the team at the European Championships on home soil this summer.
(Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
