Former Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has revealed why he left the club to join Barcelona in the summer transfer window.
Gundogan left Man City after seven years at the start of the summer, signing for Barcelona on a free transfer. He was offered a new contract by the club in May but he rejected it, reportedly due to the proposed length of the new contract.
But the German has now revealed that it was not only the number of years of the contract but also the timing of the whole thing.
Speaking to BILD, he said:
“In the end, it wasn’t about a year or two. It didn’t hit the runtime. City waited a relatively long time for the talks to really get more intense. If that had happened a little earlier, the starting position would have been different.”
“So in the end it was the perfect ending, there couldn’t have been a better time. It was also my childhood dream to play for FC Barcelona.”
Gündogan on why he left Man City: “City waited a relatively long time until the talks really intensified”. ??? #MCFC
“In the end it was the perfect ending, it couldn't have come at a better time. It was also my childhood dream to play for FC Barcelona”, told BILD. pic.twitter.com/4Er4bcUQKq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 6, 2023
Gundogan leaves as a Manchester City legend. He was a clutch player for Pep Guardiola popping up to score a number of important goals over the years.
Manchester City fans will remember him fondly for his contributions.