"Barcelona is a beautiful city" – German international fuels transfer speculation with honest confession
Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan has dropped a transfer hint amid speculations involving him and Barcelona.
Gundogan, 32, is in the final month of his current deal at the Etihad Stadium with contract extension talks said to be going on behind the scenes. Due to his situation, he has emerged as a top Blaugrana target in the last few months.
A right-footed central operator renowned for his passing, shooting and teamwork, the 66-cap Germany international has reportedly attracted attention from Arsenal and Al-Hilal too. He is believed to announce his decision next week.
However, Gundogan has fueled the rumors linking him with a move to Camp Nou. He said (h/t Florian Plettenberg):
"Barcelona is a beautiful city!"
According to SPORT, Gundogan has three offers on the table from City, Barcelona and Al Hilal. Despite his interest in joining the La Liga champions, he is currently hesitant to accept their contract offer due to their financial situation.
When asked to shed light on Gundogan's current situation, City manager Pep Guardiola elaborated (h/t SPORT):
"We are interested and they are also interested. I hope he stays with us. I want him to do well... we are still fighting for him to stay. He is a player we are going to try to keep, we want him to stay, but we know Barça want him too."
Guardiola also showered huge praise on the former Borussia Dortmund and Nurnberg midfielder. He concluded:
"If they manage to take him, they are going to take a great and a spectacular player. I know that Xavi [Hernandez] has been calling him a lot recently. If in the end, he decides to go to Barça, I'll tell him to have a great time there."
Overall, the Vfl Bochum youth product has contributed 60 goals and 40 assists in 304 matches for Manchester City.
Barcelona pushing to offload defender to Premier League side: Reports
According to Relevo, Barcelona are pushing to finalize a permanent deal for Clement Lenglet to Tottenham Hotspur with both sides set to sit down for talks over the next few days. They are keen to sell their defender for €12 million.
However, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is known to be a tough negotiator and he could manage to bring the fee down. The north London outfit are believed to be hoping to make the most of Barcelona's dire financial situation.
Lenglet, 28, spent an entire season on loan at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season after falling down in the pecking order at his parent club. He made 35 appearances across all competitions for Spurs, scoring just once.