Sam Lee provides important update on Manchester City’s chances of re-signing Ilkay Gundogan

Two crucial figures are aligned in their views over a potential move that could see Ilkay Gundogan return to Manchester City this summer, it has been reported.

The German midfielder is moving closer to an exit from FC Barcelona after just one year with the La Liga giants, having been forced out of the club’s plans for the new season due to difficulties in registering new players with the Spanish top-flight.

The Catalan club were successful in their pursuit of winning the race to sign RB Leipzig and Spain international Dani Olmi in a €60 million agreement, but failed to register the 26-year-old in time for their opening clash with Valencia.

As such, Ilkay Gundogan was identified as a player they would be hoping to offload in order to save on the player’s salary, with the 33-year-old accepting his fate and not wishing to cause any problems for Barcelona.

Following interest from clubs in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, it appears as though Gundogan’s former club Manchester City will be the one to win the race for the midfielder’s signature, with a crucial green light being granted by one figure within the Etihad Stadium.

As per the information of The Athletic’s Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee, manager Pep Guardiola is happy for a return of Ilkay Gundogan to the Etihad Stadium this summer, and perhaps crucially, so is the German midfielder himself.

Additional reporting from The Athletic’s Pol Ballus has further pointed out that after a direct conversation between Guardiola and Gundogan, the Manchester City manager has given his green light to the club pursuing an agreement.

The current belief in various quarters is that given Barcelona’s firm desire to retain the salary being issued to Gundogan, the La Liga club are not willing to cause any complications in an exit themselves, and as such sanction a free transfer to a potential suitor.

Given the absence of a transfer fee, and Ilkay Gundogan’s apparent desire to return to Pep Guardiola’s squad this season, Manchester City should find no problem in bringing their former club captain to the team in the coming days.

It remains to be seen what sort of role Gundogan could play for Manchester City should he finalise a move back to the club after a year away at Barcelona, although many believe he is the ideal support player for Rodrigo – a profile the club have been searching for all summer.