Fifteen months ago, Ilkay Gundogan lifted the Champions League trophy in Istanbul after leading Manchester City to an unprecedented treble.
The German midfielder was perhaps the most important player for City in the last game, scoring a number of important goals and his name is forever written in the club’s history books.
Gundogan was an underrated part of Pep Guardiola’s winning machine, with the world at his feet and his destiny largely in his own hands.
Did he want to stay at City and continue their dominance, or was it time for a new challenge? He chose the latter and opted to join Barcelona on a free transfer.
But now, just over a year later, he is looking for another club, with his time at the Catalan giants seemingly coming to an end. Which begs the question: where did it all go wrong for him at Barcelona?
Ilkay Gundogan joined Barcelona from Manchester City just over a year ago
It was his dream move together with his wife Sara Arfaoui (right), but now it seems to be over again
Barcelona are in a delicate financial situation and president Joan Laporta (pictured) is aiming to raise funds
After all, it was his dream to move to Catalonia with his wife, actress and model Sara Arfaoui, but now that seems to be coming to an end, much sooner than anyone could have imagined.
As has often been the case with Barcelona in recent years, money appears to be a major factor in Gundogan’s impending departure.
According to Sports worldGundogan earns around €20 million a year (£17 million per year) at Barcelona and is categorised as a ‘franchise player’ because his salary amounts to more than five per cent of the club’s total wage bill.
The Spanish club have been struggling financially for a number of seasons and were last year fined £434,000 for breaching UEFA financial rules.
They are therefore in a ‘desperate’ situation as they have to raise funds to register players, including European Championship winner Dani Olmo, who signed for the club earlier this month.
Gundogan’s sacking would reportedly free up €14 million (£12 million) in the club’s fair play budget, allowing Barcelona to reinvest 70 percent of the savings in new players.
But isn’t Gundogan one of the first names on the player sheet?
Well, last season he was, and he had no intention of leaving at the beginning of the summer, according to Relevance.Now things have changed.
The 33-year-old was deemed ‘essential’ by Xavi and has played in 36 LaLiga games in 2023-24, with one of the two games he missed due to suspension.
Barcelona must free up funds to sign players, including new signing Dani Olmo
Gundogan was a ‘key’ player under Xavi at Barcelona last season
But Hansi Flick is the new manager and has told Gundogan that he is no longer a guaranteed starter
Gundogan scored five goals and provided nine assists in LaLiga last season, proving himself to be a valuable addition to the team.
However, Xavi left at the end of the campaign and was replaced by Hansi Flick.
The former Germany coach wants to put his own stamp on the team and no longer sees Gundogan as a crucial player.
Gundogan and Flick had a meeting last Thursday, but the manager could not guarantee that Gundogan would be a regular starter under him.
Gundogan was often deployed as a midfielder under Xavi, but Flick has no intention of placing him behind the older Robert Lewandowski, as the new manager wants to put pressure on opponents high up the pitch.
It is believed that new signing Olmo is better suited to this role than Gundogan.
Barcelona need to make a change after finishing 10 points behind Real Madrid last season, and Flick also seems to want a new face for the No. 10 role.
Does this mean that Gundogan will be forced to resign?
Flick denies this, despite the fact that Gundogan was not even in the squad for Barcelona’s opening match against Valencia on Saturday.
Barcelona have previously offered Frenkie de Jong (striker, central) to other clubs, and are now using a similar tactic with Gundogan
Gundogan had no intention of leaving at the start of the summer, but is now considering his options
He insisted Gundogan was injured and even told reporters he expected the midfielder to stay for the coming campaign.
“I think he will ultimately stay at Barça,” Flick said.
“He wasn’t here tonight because he was in some discomfort. I spoke to Ilkay, but that remains between us because it’s a private conversation.”
However, Barcelona are said to have offered Gundogan to Al-Nassr, indicating they are willing to let him go.
Offering a star player to other clubs is nothing new for Barcelona. They tried the same tactic with Frenkie de Jong in 2022, when he was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United.
Ultimately, De Jong stayed at Barcelona to fight for his place in the team, but Gundogan could think differently.
Gundogan is believed not to be interested in teaming up with Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia at this point in his career, but is exploring his options before the summer transfer window closes. Relevo quoted their sources as saying that ‘he is closer to leaving than staying’.
Gundogan has been linked with a surprise return to City, despite the Premier League champions insisting throughout the summer that they are happy with their current squad.
Gundogan could be eyeing a surprise return to Man City after winning the Treble in his final season at the club in 2022-23
Jose Mourinho also wants to bring Gundogan to Turkey to play for Fenerbahce, where Gundogan’s parents were born
However, Gundogan could add depth to the midfield and provide much-needed cover for Rodri, who has expressed concerns about burnout in recent months.
Meanwhile, Spanish outlet Sport have reported that Jose Mourinho is very keen on bringing Gundogan to Fenerbahce and will do everything he can to get a deal done, while Galatasaray are also interested in signing him.
Gundogan’s parents are Turkish and the former City star is proud of his heritage. In 2018, he met Turkish President Recep Erdogan, along with Mesut Özil and Cenk Tosun, calling him ‘my president’.
Whether this will affect his final decision remains to be seen, but it appears Gundogan has several options to choose from as he considers his next move.
Now he has to make the right choice as he tries to get his career back on track after a difficult summer.