Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan celebrates with the Champions League trophy after successful the ultimate on June 11, 2023. Gundogan will be part of Barcelona| Photo Credit: Reuters

Ilkay Gundogan ended his trophy-laden seven-year stick with Manchester City by agreeing to affix Barcelona on a free switch on Monday.

The Germany midfielder's final act as a City participant — and captain — was to raise the Champions League trophy, which accomplished a treble of main titles for the English membership.

He is heading to Spain on a two-year contract, with the choice of an additional yr, although Pep Guardiola needed to maintain the 32-year-old Gundogan — the primary signing by the City supervisor after he began in 2016.

“This club made me realise all my dreams and I will forever be thankful for this opportunity,” Gundogan mentioned. “I will carry City always in my heart. Once a blue, always a blue.”

Having missed out on securing the return of Lionel Messi, Barcelona made the signing of Gundogan a precedence so as to add some expertise to a midfield already containing kids Pedri González and Gavi Páez, two of its pillars going ahead, however now not together with veteran chief Sergi Busquets, who's leaving the membership.

Frenkie de Jong additionally performed an essential function final season for Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández, regardless of efforts by the membership to promote him within the offseason of 2022.

Barcelona has set Gundogan's buyout clause at 400 million euros (about $435 million).

In an announcement, the Spanish champions described their newest signing as a participant “who reads the game to perfection” and “one of the world’s best midfielders of the last decade or so.”

Gundogan's arrival comes whereas debt-ridden Barcelona remains to be struggling to satisfy the Spanish league's monetary guidelines. Only not too long ago was it capable of finding a solution to formally register Gavi as a first-team participant. It is broadly anticipated that the membership might want to promote gamers to scale back its bills, and the addition of Gundogan will solely add to that burden except compensated by exits.

While Barcelona offered off a part of its future tv revenues and different belongings to have the money essential to signal Robert Lewandowski and others final yr, its monetary issues have more and more compelled the membership to search out free brokers who wish to come to Spain. Last yr, the group picked up present gamers Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso and Franck Kessie on free transfers, whereas different free brokers like Memphis Depay have come and gone in recent times.

City was reportedly providing Gundogan solely a one-year deal, whereas he needed an extended contract for some safety for his household.

He will go down as a City nice, not only for being the captain in its biggest ever season however due to a few of his essential objectives and performances from within the midfield, the place he might play box-to-box, as an anchorman or — in his favored function — as a participant supporting the striker.

No objectives had been extra essential than his two to finish City's late comeback from 2-0 down in opposition to Aston Villa on the ultimate day of the 2021-22 season, successful the group one other league title.

After becoming a member of from Borussia Dortmund, the place he was a Bundesliga champion in 2012, Gundogan gained 5 Premier League titles, two FA Cups, 4 English League Cups and the Champions League with City.

“He has performed an enormous half within the successes we have now loved in latest seasons and Ilkay’s intelligence, management and dedication to the membership — each on and off the sector — has been an inspiration to everybody," City director of soccer Txiki Begiristain mentioned.

Gundogan arrives at a membership that gained the Spanish league title final season however failed for a second straight marketing campaign to maneuver previous the group part of the Champions League.