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Ilkay Gundogan reveals why he snubbed transfer to Arsenal in summer window.
Ilkay Gundogan has explained why he passed up the opportunity to join Arsenal during the summer transfer window.
At the end of the previous campaign, Gundogan joined La Liga champions Barcelona on a free transfer from treble winners Manchester City.
Gundogan was being courted by a number of clubs, including Arsenal, who made him an offer of a two-year contract.
The 32-year-old midfielder has since claimed that he declined offers from other teams since joining Barcelona was his “childhood dream.”
Asked if he would have extended his contract at City if the club had offered him more than a year, Gundogan told BILD: ‘I’m honest. And many people don’t know this: In the end, it wasn’t about a year or two.
‘There was no problem with the running time. City waited a relatively long time until the talks really intensified.
‘If this had happened a little earlier, the situation would have been different. So in the end it was the perfect ending, it couldn’t have come at a better time. It was also my childhood dream to play for FC Barcelona.’
Since joining Barcelona in the summer, Gundogan has started all four of their La Liga games and has contributed two assists, but he is still keeping a careful eye on Pep Guardiola’s team.
‘So far I’ve watched almost every game of my former club on TV, yes,’ Gundogan added.
‘I was in Manchester again before the start of the season and had a farewell party with Riyad Mahrez, which all the players also came to. That was a very nice goodbye. And contact with ex-colleagues and coaches will certainly continue.’