Man City star 'would accept low salary' at Barcelona

Jacque Talbot

• 25 Mar 2023 14:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Ilkay Gundogan of Manchester City will accept a lower salary at Barcelona.

The Athletic report that Barcelona are increasingly interested in signing the midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.

Their interest is so strong that those who are involved in negotiations over his future believe a move to Spain is now likely in the upcoming transfer window.

The German made 290 appearances and scored 53 goals for the Citizens, following his move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2016.

But he will be out of contract in June - and his future is unclear. It is thought that Xavi wants to add a midfielder to his side, despite the club president Jaun Laporta saying that other areas must be addressed.

“Barcelona should sign, probably, a right-back and a centre-back depending on the market opportunities we see,” Laporta said. “We might be able to sign a forward too, but then someone would have to leave.”

City team-mate Bernardo Silva was Xavi’s first choice to reinforce last summer but the former Monaco star remains contracted until 2025.

It is believed that Silva coming to the side is not likely owing to the fee that it would take to secure the move.

Laporta confirmed this in January when asked about the move: “I can tell you he won’t come at that price because we can’t pay that.

Barca financial troubles

As has been well-documented, Barcelona are targeting players who would be able to join as free agents this summer. They have ongoing financial problems and the strict rules on squad salaries imposed by La Liga, who say that they cannot spend any money in the upcoming summer window.

The Spanish league’s president Javier Tebas has claimed Barcelona must reduce their pay by €200million next season if they are to stay within their salary limit.