Barcelona given Gundogan boost as Man City identify replacement

Karan Tejwani

• Updated: 18 Feb 2023 21:11 GMT
• 2 min read

Barcelona have received a boost in their hopes of signing Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan having targeted him for much of this season.

Gundogan is out of contract at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season and his future plans are still unclear as he mulls over whether to stay or leave.

Manchester City have said they want to keep hold of the German but he is yet to put pen to paper to make things official.

READ: Barcelona to swoop for Man City pair

Now, Barcelona will feel confident of signing the midfielder after the reigning English champions identified who they want to replace him with.

Man City want Rabiot

Manchester City have identified Juventus’ French midfielder Adrien Rabiot as a potential replacement for Gundogan, should he leave.

Like Gundogan, Rabiot is also out of contract come the end of the season and is yet to agree an extension with the record Italian champions.

READ: Barcelona line up TWO summer transfers

Rabiot has been linked with a move away from the club for a while, having been the subject of interest to Manchester United last year, but a transfer has never materialised.

It could do now, as Manchester City are monitoring his contract talks and they could land him on a free.

Rabiot has had a fine season with Juventus and even impressed with France at the World Cup, starting most games in Didier Deschamps’ side.

He previously played for Manchester City as a youngster before departing for France with Paris Saint-Germain.

Barcelona will now feel more confident of landing Gundogan’s signature - interest in the player from the club goes all the way back to October, and they are hopeful of getting a deal done.

Gundogan has been at Manchester City since 2016 and has won four league titles with the club, and played in one Champions League final in 2021, which his side lost to Chelsea.