Revealed: The possible shirt numbers for imminent Manchester City signing Ilkay Gundogan

Manchester City are set to re-sign midfielder Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from FC Barcelona, but what shirt numbers could be available to the 33-year-old upon his return to the Etihad Stadium?

Ilkay Gundogan is set to confirm a return to Manchester City, just over one year after ending a seven-year stay at the Etihad Stadium to complete a free transfer to the Camp Nou, following the expiration of his contract in east Manchester.

The former Germany international was Pep Guardiola’s first signing at Manchester City in 2016, and won 14 trophies during his first spell at the club, including captaining the Sky Blues to an historic treble.

Gundogan lifted the Premier League, Emirates FA Cup and UEFA Champions League during his final weeks at Manchester City during the 2022/23 campaign, and the 33-year-old featured 51 times for Barcelona during the most recent 2023/24 season.

The midfielder, who has made 304 appearances and scored 60 goals for Manchester City, returns to east Manchester on a free transfer, signing an initial one-year contract with an option for a further 12 months.

The 33-year-old’s famous number 8 shirt is currently held by Mateo Kovacic, who signed for Manchester City last summer in an initial £25 million move following the departure of Gundogan to Catalonia.

Premier League rules do not permit for a squad number to be changed after it has already been formally assigned to another player, although Manchester United requested dispensation from the rule upon signing Cristiano Ronaldo in 2021.

A range of different squad numbers are however available to Gundogan, including the number 21 shirt made famous by midfielder David Silva, and the number 22, which the German selected while playing for Barcelona last season.

Squad numbers 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22, 28, 29 and 30 are all available, with possibility of number 4 and 7 also being selectable, given the situation surrounding both Kalvin Phillips and Joao Cancelo.

Yaya Toure’s number 42 is similarly vacant, meanwhile 19 became available after the recent exit of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid in a club-record sale.

The number 23 shirt number was retired by Manchester City in 2003 as a mark of respect to the late midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe