Barcelona (EFE).- FC Barcelona announced on Monday the hiring of the German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), who has signed for two seasons, plus another optional one, and will have a termination clause of 400 million euros.
The player, captain of Manchester City, with whom he has won the treble this last season, was one of the pieces desired by coach Xavi Hernández, to prop up the midfield, a position in which his team was lame, although in In no case did he come to the Barça club to replace Sergio Busquets as midfielder.
Gundogan, who was free at the end of the season, had a renewal offer from City, although he has opted for that of Barcelona. The German, who will turn 33 this coming October 24, is a player with a long history in continental football.
He started playing in his native Gelsenkirchen, home of Schalke 04, and was later recruited by Bochum, for their grassroots football.
He made his Bundesliga debut with Nuremberg, but became known at Borussia Dortmund, the team with which he won the German title in the 2011-12 season with Jurgen Klopp on the bench.
He was Pep Guardiola’s first signing at City (2016), the club he has played for in the last seven years, and with which he has won seven ‘Premier League’ and a few weeks ago the Champions League after defeating in the final to Inter Milan.
Xavi Hernández will entrust his project to an experienced player who will help create Pedri, but he is also a scoring midfielder, since in this period in England he has scored 60 goals in seven seasons.
The Barcelona club will soon inform about the details of the presentation of Ilkay Gündoğan, who is the first official signing of the course. Announcements from Iñigo Martínez, Athletic Club central defender, who is also ending his contract, are expected soon; as well as the hiring of the young Brazilian nine Vitor Roque, from Athletico Paranaense.