Fabrizio Romano: Barcelona Midfield Target Yet To Decide On His Future, Man City Also Waiting
With Sergio Busquets announcing his exit at the end of the season, Barcelona have stepped up their pursuit of a new midfielder.
The club are already involved in the race to sign Ruben Neves, although the Portuguese international could cost up to €50 million.
Neves is not the only midfielder to be linked with a move to Camp Nou either, with Barcelona also targeting a move for Ilkay Gundogan. The Manchester City star has emerged as an appealing option for the Catalans due to his status as a free agent.
Not long ago, it was reported that Gundogan had given his green light to join Barcelona ahead of the new season. But Fabrizio Romano has recently contradicted the report, suggesting that the midfielder is yet to make a decision on his future.
The Italian transfer expert claims that Gundogan is not bothered about his future at the moment. He was concentrating on the final few matches of the season, with Manchester City in contention to win a treble for the first time under Pep Guardiola.
The Man City coach rates Gundogan very highly too, and wants him to sign a new contract at the Etihad. But those attempts will likely be in vain, with Diario SPORT (h/t Barça Times) suggesting that the German international’s move to Barcelona is getting closer with every second.
Gundogan focusing on the season with Man City could give Barcelona some much-needed time to determine their powers in the transfer market. It must be noted that the club are relying heavily on player sales in order to fund move for newer players.
The sale of some of their unwanted stars, therefore, could go a long way in helping Barcelona incorporate Gundogan into the team. Clement Lenglet, for one, could join Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of around €15-20 million.
