The contract was terminated after only 1 year after joining Barcelona! 12 crowns of meritorious service returned to Manchester City in a free agency, signed for 1+1 years

On August 21, Beijing time, well-known transfer expert Romano announced with the iconic Here We Go that 33-year-old Germany midfielder Gundogan has terminated his contract with Barcelona ahead of schedule and will return to his old club Manchester City on a free transfer.

It is reported that after aggressive negotiations over the past 48 hours, Manchester City have reached a full agreement with the former captain, with manager Pep Guardiola agreeing to the deal. The parties will sign a one-year contract with the option to renew for another 12 months.

In order to return to Manchester City, Gundogan also terminated his contract with Barcelona early. He will leave on a free transfer, and in order to facilitate the move, Gundogan gave up the remaining two years of his salary at Barca, the third year of his contract with Barca, which was triggered when he played more than 60% last season.

In the summer of 2016, Manchester City spent €27 million to bring in Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund. In his seven seasons at Manchester City, Gundogan played 304 games in all competitions, contributing 60 goals and 38 assists, helping the team win five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and one Champions League.

In the summer of 2023, Gundogan did not choose to renew his contract, but joined Barcelona on a free transfer, and in his first season at Barcelona, Gundogan played 51 games in all competitions as the main player, contributing 5 goals and 14 assists. However, after coach Xavi stepped down and Flick took over, Gundogan was told it wasn't in his plans.

In the end, Gundogan chose to return to his old club Manchester City to continue playing. With Gundogan's departure, Barcelona can finally use 70% of his salary to register new signing Olmo, who missed the first round of La Liga because of registration problems.