Barcelona open to listen to offers for veteran midfielder following top EURO display – report

Recently, it has come to light that Barcelona might be open to listening to offers for their key midfielder, Ilkay Gundogan, especially from clubs in Saudi Arabia, following his impressive performances at the Euros.

Gundogan, 33, has been receiving a lot of praise for his contributions to both Barcelona and the national team under Julian Nagelsmann.

His stats from the 2023-24 season speak volumes about his influence as he played more matches than any other Barcelona player, featuring in 51 out of 53 games, starting in 45 of them.

He also spent the most time on the field with a total of 4,181 minutes and provided the highest number of assists, totalling 14.

Barcelona count on Gundogan

It is no secret that Barcelona are counting on Gundogan for the upcoming season under Hansi Flick.

After joining the team on a free transfer from Manchester City last summer, he has one guaranteed year left on his contract, with an option for an additional year.

Although his release clause is set at €400 million, there have already been signs of interest from other clubs, including Galatasaray.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is another potential destination for Gundogan. Barcelona are aware that the Saudi market is eager to attract experienced footballers with lucrative offers.

This trend has been evident with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Sadio Mane, and Marcelo Brozovic moving to Saudi clubs recently.

On the other hand, there has even been interest from Saudi teams in other Barcelona stars like Marc ter Stegen and Robert Lewandowski, although they have shown no desire to leave.

Does the move make sense?

For Gundogan to leave Barcelona, he would need to agree to the move. If a club offered a high salary and a transfer fee to Barcelona, the club could benefit financially since they did not pay a transfer fee for him last year and would save on his salary for the 2024-25 season.

However, at this moment, there are no concrete indications that such a transfer will happen.

In all fairness, Barcelona are already looking for a new midfielder, and losing Gundogan would be a significant blow, given his leadership and impact on the team. Therefore, while the possibility of a transfer exists, it does not currently seem likely.