Newcastle United’s midfield could be transformed by landing ex-Man City £20m classy playmaker

A proven Premier League playmaker could be on the move – but will Newcastle be among the clubs involved in the bidding?

There’s always something going on at Barcelona. Usually, there’s something going wrong, too. The latest minor drama to befall a club which seems incapable of steering a steady course for any length of time revolves around the future of Ilkay Gündoğan, the German midfielder who has only been at the Camp Nou for a year – and the list of potential beneficiaries of his apparent push to leave the club could include Premier League sides.

Gündoğan was left out of the squad for the first game of the season, a 2-1 win over Valencia, amid speculation that is was looking to leave just halfway through his two-year contract, and a report from The Athletic (paywalled) has since suggested that clubs in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey are all interested – as are some from the English top flight.

New head coach Hansi Flick seemed hopeful that the former Manchester City man would stay put, but his comments didn’t necessarily project absolute confidence: “I appreciate the player and the person he is. We spoke about everything… I have a feeling he will stay.”

In other words, the club may not want it but there is a solid chance that Gündoğan will go, and given his age (he turns 34 in October) and the fact that he only has one more year on his current deal, it seems likely that he would be fairly affordable. If this is another of those infamous economic levers being jiggled about – and it may well be, given that the club is currently unable to register summer signing Dani Olmo due to La Liga’s financial rules – then it will not be an especially large one.

Of course, there aren’t too many Premier League sides that make sense as a destination. Gündoğan’s wages would still be substantial (he is reported to be on around £300,000 per week at Barcelona) and he is still likely to want to play for one of the stronger sides in the division. Then there are the tactical considerations.

Gündoğan typically played a slightly deeper role at Barcelona than he had at Manchester City, on the right of a midfield three in a 4-3-3, and was even more involved than he had been at the Etihad – he was passing more, moving more and creating more chances while spending less time looking to be the man on the end of the final ball. He scored fewer than he had under Pep Guardiola, but generated more assists – all of which amounted to a style which suited him given a gradual drop off in pace. He dictates tempo and play more and more while being a little less direct with his game.