Barcelona continue negotiations to sign key Man City star

The Catalans are keen to add an experienced midfielder to their ranks.

Barcelona are reportedly “pressing on” with negotiations to sign Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan next summer.

The German star is spending the final months of his current contract at Etihad. Back in December, reports emerged of City’s breakthrough in negotiations with Gundogan.

However, Barcelona’s interest seems to have changed the situation around the 32-year-old’s future.

According to ESPN, talks between Gundogan’s representatives and Barcelona have been going on for weeks. Both parties are reportedly “open” to reaching an agreement as the midfielder’s agent has a good relationship with Barca’s director of football, Mateu Alemany.

Barcelona have been pursuing deals for both Gundogan and Inigo Martinez in recent months. The latter has already agreed to join the Catalans as a free agent next summer.

However, Barca’s issues with the financial fair play rules could prevent them from registering both players. The Catalans have preferred to sign free agents since last year, with Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie joining them after the expiration of their previous deals.

In a similar situation to the last summer, Barca could sell a number of players to free up space on their wage bill for the likes of Gundogan and Martinez.