Ilkay Gundogan’s new Manchester City shirt number leaked ahead of official announcement

The brand new Manchester City shirt number selected by Ilkay Gundogan has now been ‘leaked’ on social media ahead of the club’s official unveiling of the midfielder.

The 33-year-old midfielder is in Manchester for the documentation signing, medical testing, and media duties with the Premier League champions, ahead of embarking on a second spell under Pep Guardiola in his career.

Gundogan left Manchester City following a seven-year stay with the club last summer, joining FC Barcelona on a free transfer upon the expiry of his Etihad Stadium contract, but is making a swift return to the north-west of England following a mutual agreement in Catalonia.

The La Liga giants were in need of freeing up the German’s salary package at the club in order to register new €60 million signing Dani Olmo with the Spanish top-flight, amid an ongoing precarious financial situation.

With Gundogan agreeing to the situation, having not wanted to cause issues with a club he respects, Manchester City moved fast to ensure that they beat competition from clubs in Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to the player’s signature.

According to the information of Manchester City YouTube creator ‘MCFCDaps‘, Ilkay Gundogan has selected the number ’19’ at the Etihad Stadium, succeeding Julian Alvarez in the jersey for the 2024/25 season.

Manchester City are believed to be on the verge of unveiling Gundogan as their second summer signing on Thursday, with the player signing on a one-year contract with the option to extend by a further 12 months.

It brings an end to the club’s ongoing search for support for Rodrigo in the defensive midfield role this season, having assessed the possibility of recruiting Newcastle United and Brazil international star Bruno Guimaraes.

The 26-year-old saw City reject the chance to snap him up earlier in the market via a £100 million release clause that has now expired, while his current employers have shown their own faith in the player by handing him the captain’s armband.