Barcelona relieved as Fabrizio Romano shuts down reports of target agreeing contract elsewhere

Barcelona have been strongly linked with Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan this summer, as the Blaugrana look to take what Xavi Hernandez has termed the next step and compete in European competition.

Their hopes of doing so looked as if they had been dealt a blow on Sunday night when reports emerged out of England that Gundogan had agreed a new deal with City, following their FA Cup triumph over Manchester United.

🚨 Ilhan Gündogan (agent Gündogan): "Nothing has been agreed with City or any other club. The recent reports are NOT true. Ilkay is only focused on the final." @FabrizioRomano

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 5, 2023

However Fabrizio Romano has shut down those reports with an exclusive from Gundogan’s agent Ilhan Gundogan, who says that neither Barcelona nor City have a deal with the player.

🚨 EXCL. Ilkay Gündogan’s agent Ilhan on rumours of new deal agreed and set to be signed with Man City: “Nothing has been agreed with City or any other club”, told me. #MCFC

“The recent reports are NOT true. Ilkay is only focused on the final”, Gündogan’s agent replies. pic.twitter.com/DEKg5GeZiV

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 5, 2023

It is stated that the German veteran is only thinking about the upcoming Champions League final against Inter this Saturday, rather than deciding his future.

The 32-year-old is out of contract this summer, and it has been rumoured that City are reluctanct to give him a longer-term deal as a result of his age. While City can afford to bring in a younger replacement, Barcelona would be getting an upgrade in quality compared to their current options, and one all the more necessary given the departure of Sergio Busquets this summer.