Ilkay Gundogan arrives in Manchester ahead of Etihad Stadium medical and City return

German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has now touched down at Manchester Airport ahead of re-signing with his former club City following a remarkable last few days.

The 33-year-old has brought a premature end to his time with FC Barcelona following conversations with the La Liga club over the need for the player to leave in order to free up his salary package for new arrivals.

It follows difficulties from the Catalan side in their attempts to register €60 million arrival Dani Olmo with La Liga for the first game of the campaign, but the need to utilise the 26-year-old in Hansi Flick’s plans given the investment made in the talent.

Unsurprisingly, the decision over allowing Ilkay Gundogan to leave the club sparked widespread interest from across European football and further afield in the German’s signature, with Pep Guardiola and Manchester City making the biggest efforts.

Guardiola and Gundogan are understood to have held a personal conversation regarding a potential reunion at the Etihad Stadium, and following negotiations with the Premier League champions, a full agreement was reached on Wednesday morning.

Ilkay Gundogan will now become Manchester City’s second first-team signing of the 2024 summer transfer window, having arrived in the North-West in the last few moments ahead of a Premier League champions medical and contractual signing process.

Media duties are also expected to follow including photography shoots in Manchester City’s new trio of kits, as well as his first interview after becoming a Pep Guardiola player for the second time in his top-level career.

Manchester City are being anticipated to announce the signing of Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from FC Barcelona on Thursday, with a view towards considering him for their matchday squad on Saturday afternoon.

It remains to be seen just how often Ilkay Gundogan will be used by Pep Guardiola throughout the course of the now-ongoing season, but there is certainly no doubt over the 33-year-old’s abilities to continue performing at the very highest level of the game.

During his only season with FC Barcelona, Ilkay Gundogan created more chances than any other player in La Liga across the 2023/24 campaign with a total of 97 opportunities created for the club’s goalscoring talents.

Gundogan will also successfully end Manchester City’s pursuit of support for Rodrigo at the base of midfield, having identified a number of options throughout the course of the summer without too much in the way of progress.

It also remains to be seen whether Gundogan’s return to the Sky Blue of Manchester City will have any impact on the progress of the likes of Mateo Kovacic, James McAtee, Nico O’Reilly, and Phil Foden’s increased opportunities in the centre of the park.

Pep Guardiola is likely to be quizzed on the arrival of the club’s legendary former captain when he addresses the media on Friday afternoon ahead of Manchester City’s Premier League meeting with Ipswich Town at the Etihad Stadium.