Ilkay Gundogan opens up on personal phone call with Pep Guardiola that sparked Barcelona exit | OneFootball

Manchester City’s reunion with Ilkay Gundogan was first sparked by a personal phone call between the German midfielder and Pep Guardiola, it has been revealed.

The 33-year-old made a staggering return to the Etihad Stadium towards the end of the last summer transfer window, having left Manchester City one year prior through the expiry of his contract with the club.

Leaving Manchester City off the back of a historic Treble success and a first ever UEFA Champions League title, Ilkay Gundogan went down in history as one of the club’s greatest ever captains.

When financial difficulties struck FC Barcelona during the summer, Gundogan was identified as a player the La Liga club were willing to let go of due to age and other options deemed more crucial to registration with the Spanish top-flight.

Speaking during a new and exclusive interview with MailSport’s Ian Ladyman, Gundogan has revealed the subject of a private phone call held with Pep Guardiola that sparked his Manchester City return during the summer transfer window.

“When I was sure it would be amazing to come back, I spoke with Pep,” Gundogan revealed. “I called him and asked him if he could imagine it. Not out of nothing. I had thought about it. it was something I personally wanted to do and I didn’t have much to lose, you know?”

The 33-year-old continued, “I was a bit nervous beforehand but it was a nice call. Obviously my relationship with Pep was always good. Even though I was in Barcelona last year we had a few phone calls between each other. We actually also met there once.

“There is no reason to hide that we have a good connection but at the end you never know how people will react or what they think about certain situations.

“So when I mentioned it and I got a great response, I was relieved. It was something that maybe I didn’t quite expect in that moment. He said had it been up to him it would have been done tomorrow.”

Ilkay Gundogan is likely to take up a very different role with Manchester City to the one he held with the club during the 2022/23 season, often appearing from the substitutes bench during his opening weeks back with the club.

With fixtures coming thick and fast in the coming weeks, Gundogan is likely to be called upon far more often however, particularly as Manchester City look to balance Premier League action with contests in the Carabao Cup and UEFA Champions League.