How Barcelona made transfer swoop when Ilkay Gundogan defied Man City expectations

Ilkay Gundogan made his own fairytale finish at Manchester City after an alternative ending that threatened to be short on the sentiment he had earned.

Gundogan will always be loved at the club and in Manchester for what he has done over the last seven years, from helping out those who are less fortunate in the city without a fuss to scoring the goals to rescue one Premier League title and then captaining Pep Guardiola's side to the Treble. As moments go, it was always going to be hard to top lifting the Champions League for the first time in the country of his parents' birth to write his name further into the record books.

Perhaps it would always have been the point for Gundogan to depart, but his decision was made easier by the reluctance of City to offer what he wanted in the first place. Despite the deep admiration for him as a player and skipper, there was no sign of that in the contract proposed with just a one-year deal with a salary limit imposed to reflect the fact that the German is 32 in an offer that was described as 'pragmatic'.

It was entirely in keeping with the club policy and mirrored what they had done with Fernandinho when he extended for another year in 2021 and other ageing players before that, yet the circumstances felt different. While Gundogan may be the eighth City legend to have departed in as many years, his is easily the smallest step down as he joins a revitalised giant that are La Liga champions again and out to re-establish themselves in the Champions League under a talented, homegrown coach.

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Perhaps when stripped of sentimentality, Gundogan will unfortunately show why he wasn't offered a longer deal at City