Barcelona could be forced to sell Ilkay Gundogan less than a year after signing him

Barcelona have been forced into making a difficult decision on Ilkay Gundogan’s future.

Gundogan enjoyed a fine debut season at the club after joining from Manchester City on a free transfer last summer.

The 33-year-old was a key player for Xavi, making 46 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals and registering 13 assists though Barcelona were unable to beat Real Madrid to the La Liga title.

He is currently on international duty with Germany at Euro 2024 and has made a blistering start to the tournament, scoring and assisting as they topped their group.

However, his club future has been plunged into doubt as a result of Barcelona’s financial troubles.

According to SPORT, the Spanish giants are open to offers for the midfielder just one year after he arrived in Spain in order to comply with financial fair play regulations.

The report claims that Gundogan is valued highly by the club ahead of Hansi Flick’s debut season in charge but that not many players are unsellable.

It indicates Gundogan has currently not stated his desire to leave despite already having multiple ‘economic’ offers on the table. If he did decide to depart, Barcelona would be open to a sale as any transfer fee would represent net profit.

The club’s main objective is believed to be reducing their wage bill ahead of the new campaign.

Ilkay Gundogan could leave Barcelona after just one year (Getty)

Emerging talents from the club’s famed youth academy such as Gavi, Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi have eased the need for new transfers during their perilous financial situation.

Star players Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo are among the other players who continue to be linked with an exit, with various Premier League clubs credited with an interest in the duo.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has claimed the Catalan club will need to offload some key players in order to pass the regulations.

He said: “They have two or three top-class players they can sell.

“If they sell them, then they can solve a great part of their program. With that, they can generate income that doesn’t generate debt interest and can pay players.”