It was an open secret, his arrival announced days ago, but as of this Monday Ilkay Gündogan, 32, is officially a Barça player. The Blaugrana club announced the hiring of the German, the first reinforcement for next season, who signs for two years plus another option with a termination clause of 400 million.
The man born in Gelsenkirchen arrives free from Manchester City, where this past season he was the captain of a team that won a historic treble. Gundogan began his career at Nuremberg, then rose to prominence at Borussia Dortmund and has established himself as one of the best midfielders in his seven years as a cityzen player. He arrives at the Barcelona entity after having won 19 titles, including six leagues and one Champions League.
Gundogan has signed one of his best campaigns this past year. The undisputed starter with Pep Guardiola, the German has participated in 51 games in which he has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists. His goalscoring facet has been especially important in the final stretch of the season, for example with the goals in the FA Cup final against Manchester United.
The midfielder stands out for his technical quality, his vision of the game and his arrival in the area, characteristics that in principle fit perfectly into the game of the Barça team. Although he can also play as a defensive pivot, Gündogan will fight a priori for a starting position inside with Pedri, Gavi and De Jong.
Beyond his footballing virtues, Gündogan will bring experience and seniority to a squad with many young players. A role that he already performs in the dressing room Robert Lewandowski, who already played with the Teutonic a decade ago at Borussia Dortmund.
Despite the fact that his signing is already official, the German is not registered in LaLiga, an essential condition to dress short. Barça still has to lower the wage bill this summer to win a financial fair play and be able to accommodate the veteran midfielder’s file.
