Ilkay Gundogan ‘will NOT leave Barcelona in the summer’ despite major interest from Turkey – as German star prepares for a reunion with former boss Hansi Flick
- Ilkay Gündogan has become a summer target for Turkish side Galatasaray
- However, the German has reportedly decided to stay at Barcelona this summer
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Ilkay Gundogan will reportedly stay at Barcelona this summer despite strong interest from abroad.
The Germany international’s first season in Spain ended in disappointment as the Catalan giants failed to win a trophy during the 2023/2024 campaign.
It’s an unfamiliar feeling for Gundogan, who won countless titles with Manchester City for years before finally ending his time there last summer.
Now it appears that despite growing interest from abroad, Gundogan will remain in LaLiga as he prepares to reunite with former national team boss Hansi Flick.
According to Mundo DeportivoThe 33-year-old, whose current contract at Camp Nou expires in the summer of 2025, plans to stay at Barcelona.
Ilkay Gundogan will reportedly opt to stay at Barcelona despite interest from abroad
The German star’s debut season with the Spanish giants ended in a disappointing one
The news comes just days after Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek admitted it would be his ‘dream’ to sign the former City midfielder.
‘I think we need to sign about three players to participate in the Champions League. Maybe it’s time to try to complete the signing of my dreams: Ilkay Gündogan,” he said.
Despite interest from the Turkish champions, Gundogan is reportedly planning to stay as he prepares for Flick’s arrival at Camp Nou.
Gündogan and Flick worked together during the latter’s stint as boss of the German national team, which ended in September.
Gündogan said at the time: ‘I feel like I’ve let Flick down. The atmosphere in the team is currently a mixture of sadness, frustration and disappointment.
‘As a player I feel like I let Hansi go [Flick] down, to be quite honest. He was always focused, motivated and full of energy. Unfortunately, as a team we couldn’t make anything of that.’
Barcelona announced the appointment of Hansi Flick (right) as their new first-team manager
Gundogan will likely look forward to working with his former national team boss
On Wednesday, Barcelona announced the appointment of Flick as their new manager following the departure of Xavi.
The former Germany and Bayern Munich boss has signed a two-year contract with the club after a tumultuous few weeks at Camp Nou.
Xavi had originally announced in January that he would leave his role in the summer, before Barcelona president Joan Laporta convinced the club legend to stay in April.
However, the former Spanish midfielder then publicly criticized Barcelona’s financial position, angering Laporta, who decided to sack Xavi last Friday.
