German international midfielder Ilkay Gundogan completed a move to Barcelona earlier this summer.
The 32-year-old joined the Spanish club on a free transfer upon the expiry of his contract at Manchester City. He helped the Premier League giants win a treble last season and he has decided to pursue a new adventure at this stage of his career.
Speaking to German publication BILD, the midfielder has now confirmed that he has snubbed offers from other clubs before completing the switch to Barcelona.
He has revealed that playing for the Spanish club was a childhood dream and moving to Camp Nou will be the perfect ending for him.
He said: “I’m honest. And many people don’t know this: In the end, it wasn’t about a year or two. There was no problem with the running time. City waited a relatively long time until the talks really intensified.
“If this had happened a little earlier, the situation would have been different. So 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.”
The 32-year-old has proven himself in the Bundesliga and the Premier League over the years. He is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders in the world and signing a player of his quality on a free transfer has to be a masterstroke from the Spanish outfit.
Gundogan will look to make his mark in Spanish football now and help Barcelona win major trophies.
The Catalan giants won the league title last year but they were quite underwhelming in Europe. Gundogan helped Manchester City win the UEFA Champions League last season and he will hope to help Barcelona do well in the premier European competition this season.
Meanwhile, a report from the Mirror claims that Arsenal’s interest in the midfielder was driven by Mikel Arteta who worked closely with the German midfielder during his time as a coach at Manchester City.
The Gunners eventually signed Declan Rice from West Ham United but the 32-year-old German international would have been an exceptional acquisition as well.