Barcelona President Joan Laporta has shed light on the surprising decision to allow Ilkay Gundogan to return to Manchester City for free, dismissing speculation that the move was driven solely by financial concerns, Soccernet.football reports.
Gundogan, who spent seven successful years at the Etihad Stadium from 2016 to 2023, rejoined Manchester City last month on a one-year contract with the option of an additional year.
The midfielder had only spent a single season away from City, testing his skills in La Liga with Barcelona. Despite a successful stint in Spain, his return to the Premier League champions left many wondering why Barcelona would let such a valuable player go without a transfer fee.
According to reports from Sky Sports, the 33-year-old’s exit was influenced by Barcelona’s signing of Dani Olmo from RB Leipzig this summer.
The arrival of Olmo, coupled with Barcelona’s ongoing financial challenges, created a situation where the club needed to offload Gundogan’s wages to register their new star.
However, Laporta insists that the decision to part ways with Gundogan was not primarily financially motivated.
“It has been a decision solely and exclusively for sporting reasons,” Laporta clarified in a statement via FabrizioRomano.
“Following the signing of Dani Olmo, the role of Gundogan was not clear, because they shared a very similar position.”
While Laporta’s explanation focuses on the sporting dynamics, the reality of Barcelona’s financial struggles cannot be ignored.
The need to reduce their wage bill likely played a significant role in allowing Gundogan to leave for free, despite Laporta’s efforts to downplay this aspect.
The Catalan club’s financial troubles have been a lingering issue since Laporta’s re-election as president three years ago, and while progress has been made, the problems are far from resolved.