Arsenal to frustrate Barcelona by repeating Gabriel Jesus transfer trick

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 21 May 2023 09:45 BST
• 13 min read

Arsenal are plotting a move for Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan this summer, potentially frustrating Barcelona’s efforts to sign the Germany star.

Gundogan is out of contract in the summer and will become a free agent at that point, giving him the pick of interested clubs.

Barcelona have long carried an interest an in the 32-year-old, with the Catalans having taken a strong interest in the free agent market in recent summers due to their financial difficulties.

With Barca obliged to make cuts before the end of June in order to sign new talent and Sergio Busquets on his way out of the club, the Camp Nou side are seeking to strengthen their options in the midfield and Gundogan represents a low-cost, high-quality way of doing just that.

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Arsenal target Ilkay Gundogan transfer

Mikel Arteta, though, could thwart Xavi’s plans, according to SportBild.

The Arsenal boss is also known to want to strengthen his midfield options this summer, with Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice two players strongly linked with a move to the club.

Gundogan, though, is a player the Gunners are also closely tracking, the German source reports.

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And such a move would be logical for the Emirates side, even though Arteta is set to be handed a transfer war chest of more than £200 million for the forthcoming transfer window.

There are numerous areas of the squad that need to be strengthened, with a new forward player and an attack-minded midfielder also likely to be on Arteta’s shopping list, and Gundogan as a free agent would release money to allow these areas to be focused upon, particularly with renewed rumours that Granit Xhaka could leave.

Gundogan vs Premier League midfielders: 2022/23

The former Borussia Dortmund star boasts a wealth of Premier League experience, which is also attractive to Arteta, who has not been shy about recruiting Man City players in the recent past.

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus were both recruited from the Premier League champions last summer, and both have added a fresh dimension to the team.

Arsenal’s interest in Gundogan is entirely logical and sends a worrying message to Barcelona that they might not get their man.