Summer signing Ilkay Gundogan is reportedly closer to making his exit from FC Barcelona than making his debut for the club. Gundogan recently joined FC Barcelona a few weeks earlier on a free transfer. So far, he has made his appearance in the pre-season matches. However, the German midfielder’s future at his new club is hanging by a thread.
According to reports from Forbes, Ilkay Gundogan could leave FC Barcelona within the coming weekend if the club fails to register him by then. FC Barcelona’s financial woes have hugely plagued the club’s transfer window. The Spanish club needs to significantly lower its wage bill to register several players in the squad. Moreover, this was the primary reason that prevented Lionel Messi’s return to his boyhood club.
Barcelona have 5 days to register the contract of Ilkay Gundogan with La Liga, otherwise he will be free to leave the club. #Barca pic.twitter.com/geW9Qec0Ss
ā Football EspaƱa (@footballespana_) August 8, 2023
Ilkay Gundogan’s contract at Barcelona reportedly contains a clause that allows him to leave the club by August 13. The clause stipulates that if the club fails to register him before their first La Liga fixture against Getafe, Gundogan can leave the club. Moreover, the club will also pay the former Manchester City star his wages for the first year of his contract, which is around $11 million.
If Ilkay Gundogan is forced to leave the club, it would be a huge blow for FC Barcelona. The 2023 Champions League winner declined a contract extension with Manchester City. Instead, the former Dortmund star chose to go to Barcelona for a much lower salary. However, Ousmane Dembele’s move to PSG and Franck Kessie’s move to Al-Ahli will help FC Barcelona’s current financial condition.
FC Barcelona will receive a huge boost after selling 49% of Barca Studios
FC Barcelona has decided to sell 49% of its Barca Studios to improve its economic condition. Last season, Barcelona sold around 25% of its La Liga TV rights for approximately $591 million. In addition to this, the club also sold 49.9% of its licensing and merchandising rights for around $220 million. These economic levers allowed the club to sign players like Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and so on.
Moreover, the club also sold 49% of its Barca Studios to Orpheus Media and Socios [24.5% to each company] last year. However, both companies failed to make their payment of $33 million each which hurt Barca’s economic condition. As a result, another German company was reportedly interested in buying 16% of the shares owned by Orpheus Media and Socios.
šØšØš£| BREAKING: FC Barcelona have reached an agreement with a Mexican company to sell 49% of BarƧa Studios for ā¬180M. Deal Done! @gerardromero āļøš°š„ pic.twitter.com/PrnO7UI1Xj
ā Managing BarƧa (@ManagingBarca) August 8, 2023
The deal with the German company, however, also fell through. Ultimately, a Mexican investment firm has come to the aid of Barca and has reportedly finalized an agreement where it would buy the 49% stake in Barca Studios, which was previously owned by Orpheus Media and Socios. FC Barcelona will reportedly earn $192.7 million from this deal, which would help them register their players, including Gundogan.