Man City 'regret' letting Ilkay Gundogan leave last summer

Manchester City are reported to 'regret' letting Ilkay Gundogan leave the club last summer, watching the midfielder sign with Barcelona on a free transfer instead.

Gundogan and his agent left their options 'open' once the player had entered the final six months of his City contract and was permitted to freely negotiate with foreign clubs.

Talks with Barcelona had already taken place by the end of March, of which City were aware and prepared to let the player decide whether to stay or leave without forcing the issue. As reported at the time, City were still hoping in April that Gundogan would sign a new contract. But he was close to reaching an agreement with Barcelona and wasn't actively persuaded not to go.

Eventually, his departure from the Etihad Stadium and decision to join Barcelona was announced in the wake of captaining City to a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble.

In 2023/24, Pep Guardiola’s side have fallen short in their goal of retaining the Champions League, but just about remain favourites to prevail in a tighter Premier League title race and will face Manchester United in the FA Cup final in a repeat of last season.

Gundogan proved crucial in getting City over the line this time last year, particularly at Wembley when he scored both goals in a 2-1 win – including the fastest in FA Cup final history.

Now, reports that Guardiola misses his former captain's presence, his style of play and his overall impact. Replacements like Mateo Kovacic and Mathues Nunes haven't quite filled the void and it is claimed, in hindsight, that City wish they had pushed harder to keep him.

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