Tomorrow evening, Germany will face Turkey in a friendly. A match that will be special for Ilkay Gündogan. Indeed, it is the first time that the German midfielder will play against the country of origin of his parents. There, the career of the FC Barcelona player is closely followed. Moreover, the Turkish media did not miss a single beat of his turbulent summer. Indeed, the former BVB left Manchester City, of which he was captain, after a historic hat-trick. Free, he decided to sign for the Blaugrana.
But in Catalonia, everything is not yet happening as he imagined. The Iberian press explained that he was surprised by the lack of support from the club when he arrived and settled in with his wife and baby. On the pitch, “Gundo”, who played 17 matches including 16 as a starter (1 goal), has yet to find his feet. Recently, he stood out after letting out a rant in the locker room after the Clasico defeat against Real Madrid. The Spanish media spoke about Gündogan’s malaise.
Galatasaray advances its pawns
The Catalan press indicated that everything was going well and that his teammates did not blame him. However, in Turkey, the press explains that a departure of the German international is not impossible. Journalist Burhan Can Terzi said the 33-year-old dreams of one day playing for Galatasaray. So far, nothing special. But he added that his entourage met the leaders of the Turkish club after the Champions League match in Munich on November 8. The agent conveyed his client’s message that he is ready to play there in the future.
Moreover, Bild explains that the captain of the German selection would be willing to discuss a possible transfer with FC Barcelona. A club which, a priori, is not a seller and which has set its release clause at 400 million euros. But he would leave for a lot less money. It would be a big blow for the Turks, who would nevertheless have to put their hands in their wallets. It’s hard to imagine the Culés, in tough financial times, doing Galatasaray a favor. In the worst case, the Istanbul club will have to wait until 2025, when “Gundo” will be free. To be continued…
