Gundogan's round trip

Ilkay Gundogan's return to Manchester City was unexpected news at the start of the summer. The German midfielder, one of the most self-critical voices in the Barcelona squad, will leave on a free transfer.

The need for Barcelona to free up wage bill, as they are still unable to register Dani Olmo, coupled with the criticism received by Gundogan for raising his voice at specific moments, has led to the German international's imminent departure, who is also taking advantage of this summer to leave the national team.

Barcelona will not make it difficult for Gundogan to leave. He arrived a year ago for free, after finishing his contract, and will leave for free. This will free up enough money to allow Olmo to be registered and make his debut for Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola knows how important Gundogan is to his style of play. Last season, losing him to Barcelona was a major setback, despite finally winning the Premier League title. The Spanish manager lost a man used to playing in three-quarters of the pitch - unlike at Barcelona - with a great finish and good goal-scoring numbers.

His replacement at the Etihad Stadium was Mateo Kovacic, who has never looked comfortable. In fact, his best game this year came when he took Rodri's place. As a central midfielder, the Croatian has had significant shortcomings in a team like City.

With the departure of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid, and with one of the youngsters still waiting to step up - Oscar Bobb had been ready to do so but is injured - the return of Ilkay Gundogan to the Cityzens ranks has once again reshuffled the pieces of Pep Guardiola's team.