Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal could reportedly miss out on the signing of Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Arsenal and Barcelona are interested in signing Ilkay Gundogan, who is out of contract at treble winners Manchester City this summer.
Barcelona and Arsenal have made offers to the Germany international midfielder, and so have Premier League champions City.
There has been interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia as well in Gundogan, described as a “sensational player” by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the agent of the 32-year-old has called Barcelona and has told their executives that Gundogan is close to saying ‘yes’ to their offer.
Although the £165,000-a-week (SalarySport) midfielder has not definitely made a decision on his future, he is now close to deciding to sign for Barcelona on a free transfer, according to the report in the Spanish publication.
Could Arsenal still convince Ilkay Gundogan?
In our opinion, Arsenal are now unlikely to be able to convince Ilkay Gundogan to move to the Emirates Stadium ahead of Barcelona.
Although the midfielder has not made a definitive decision, it is hard to see him change his mind now.
Having just won the treble with Manchester City, it was always unlikely that Gundogan would switch to another Premier League club on a free transfer.
Barcelona won the La Liga title last season and are aiming to become a major force in the UEFA Champions League once again.
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