Barcelona are set to confirm the signing of Ilkay Gundogan.
The 32-year-old midfielder has been in talks with Barca since the turn of the year and a move to Camp Nou was always thought to be his favorite option.
Gundogan finished the season in good form and played a big part in City completing the Treble.
City offered him the chance to stay at the Etihad Stadium, but after nine seasons in England, Gundogan decided to join Barca – a decision he confirmed to Pep Guardiola and the club’s hierarchy after the UEFA Champions League final victory over Inter.
Sources close to Gundogan have always insisted that finance was not a key factor in the deal, but was based on his family. Gundogan has agreed what could become a three-year deal with Barca, although a final year is an option.
Barcelona included the signing of Gundogan in their financial viability plans, approved by La Liga earlier this month, and once they put pen to paper there should be no problems registering his contract. Barca finally got a new deal approved for star midfielder Gavi earlier this week.
The move gives Gundogan the chance to play for Xavi – someone he has previously described as one of his heroes.
“There was no particular player for me, but there were players like Zidane or Xavi, or even a player like Andrea Pirlo. They are players I liked to watch and had a lot of fun – maybe because I play in a similar position to” he said Gundogan earlier this year.
“As a central midfielder, I like to watch how other controlling midfielders behave during the game: what kind of passes they play, what solutions they have for different situations. I try to watch the game from the position of a midfielder.”
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