Ilkay Gundogan explains why he rejected summer transfer to Arsenal

Ilkay Gundogan has explained the reason why he declined an opportunity to join Arsenal during the summer transfer period.

Gundogan left Manchester City, who won three trophies, at the end of last season to join Barcelona, who are the champions of La Liga, for free.

Arsenal gave Gundogan a contract for two years and wanted him to join their team, along with many other clubs.

The 32-year-old midfielder recently revealed that he rejected offers from other teams because he always wanted to join Barcelona, which had been his dream since he was a child.

When asked if he would have signed a longer contract with City if they had offered him more than just one year, Gundogan told BILD that he would have if he’s being truthful. And a lot of people don’t know this: Ultimately, it wasn’t about just one or two years.

The running time was not an issue. The city had to wait for a while until the talks became more serious.

If this had happened a bit earlier, things would have turned out differently. So, in the end, everything turned out perfectly and it happened at the best possible time. As a child, I really wanted to play soccer for FC Barcelona.

Gundogan has played in all four of Barcelona’s La Liga matches this season. He has given two assists, but he is still closely watching Pep Guardiola’s team.

‘I have watched almost every game of my old club on TV,’ Gundogan said.

I went to Manchester again before the season started and had a goodbye party with Riyad Mahrez. All the players also came to the party. That was a really nice farewell. And you will definitely stay in touch with your former colleagues and coaches.