With a message on Instagram, Ilkay Gundogan announced his retirement from the German national team. “After a few weeks of reflection, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to end my career in the national team. I look back with great pride on the 82 matches for my country, a number I would never have even dreamed of at my debut in 2011,” wrote the thirty-three-year-old, now former captain of Germany.
The farewell to Die Mannschaft is the only certainty in the midfielder’s present, who after just one season at Barcelona already has his bags packed. Coach Hansi Flick, German like him and already managing Germany from 2021 to 2023, has put him out of the squad. There are no shortage of offers: there is Qatar, Saudi Arabia with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, and Galatasaray. But a return to Manchester City cannot be ruled out, where Guardiola would welcome him with open arms.
Why Dani Olmo isn’t playing
“Dani Olmo will not be there on Saturday. He only started training on Monday,” Flick explained while presenting the league match (which was later won) against Valencia. A reason that attempts to mask Barcelona’s long-standing economic problems, which makes multimillion-dollar purchases but cannot finalize them due to the financial rules imposed by La Liga. The former attacking midfielder from Leipzig cost 55 million plus bonuses and signed a contract until 2030. To register him and then field him, the Blaugrana must reduce the current wage bill and demonstrate they have that money either in cash or in assets.
Dani Olmo during his presentation as the new Barcelona player, before the Joan Gamper trophy
And for this reason, Gundogan, with a salary of about 9 million per year, is one of the main candidates to leave Catalonia and provide oxygen to the club’s disastrous finances, which according to El Confidencial would be burdened by almost three billion in debt (2.777 million euros, of which 1.097 million euros for the Espai Barça).
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The trick to unlock the market
Last year, instead of Dani Olmo, it was Gundogan: arriving for free from City, but not able to be registered due to his salary. Barça could not even finalize renewals for Araujo, Gavi, Sergi Roberto, Marcos Alonso, and Iñaki Peña. To obtain new liquidity, the Catalan club sold 29.5% of the ownership of Barça Vision (Bridgeburg) for a sum of 120 million euros. This is not a new operation, since in 2022 they had already sold a share of the La Liga TV rights for the next 25 years and a percentage of their Studios.
Barça-Lewandowski, Bayern: “Money upfront and in cash, the Blaugrana could go bankrupt in two years due to debts”
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The Lewandowski issue and the growing salary
Fifty-nine goals in two seasons can be a problem? The answer is yes, if you have Lewandowski’s salary. In the summer of 2022, the Pole signed a rising contract with the Blaugrana, and thus his salary weighs more and more on the budget each season. According to some reports, this year his salary is expected to reach 32 million euros, before decreasing to 26 in the 2025/26 season. However, the Catalans would have covered themselves with a clause that allows for the contract to be terminated if the Pole does not play 55% of the matches this year (as a starter or with a minimum of 45 minutes). Because even a termination can provide oxygen for Barça’s finances.
Lewandowski celebrates at the end of the match against Valencia
The most prominent victim was actually Messi, whose contract expired in the summer of 2021 and attempts at renewal failed because the Catalans could not afford the hefty salary of the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
The injury of Araujo unlocks Íñigo Martínez
Íñigo Martínez, for instance, was able to play against Valencia only because Barcelona freed up salary space “thanks” to Ronald Araujo’s injury. Article 77 allows for part of a player’s salary to be used when he is injured for a long time. This also happened last season with Gavi, allowing for the registration of Vitor Roque.