Barca see target as taking over from Xavi in Catalonia next season.
Check in to FC Barcelona vs AC Milan
La Liga champions FC Barcelona are set to join the race for in-demand Borussia Dortmund defensive midfield player Ilkay Gundogan at the end of this current season, according to reports in the Daily Express.
The Germany international has seemingly been attracting the attentions of a whole host of big-name clubs of late, especially from the Premier League, with both Arsenal and top-flight champions Manchester United said to be desperately keen on signing Gundogan next summer.
However, if reports in Spain are to be believed, then those two outfits are now likely to also face stiff competition for the 23-year-old’s signature from the Catalans after Barca sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta travelled to Germany this week to discuss with Dortmund the possibility of brining Gundogan to Camp Nou for the next campaign.
The holding midfield player’s current contract with last season’s Uefa Champions League holders now only runs until June 30 2015, and with Gundogan having reportedly steadfastly refused to pen to paper on the new deal that Dortmund have offered him, the club are expecting to have to part company with their star man next summer, rather than risk losing the German on a free in two years’ time.