The German is now being offered a three-year deal to move to Camp Nou (Picture: Getty)
Barcelona are closing in on an agreement with Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan after significantly improving their contract offer, according to reports.
The 32-year-old’s current deal with the Premier League champions expires at the end of the month, when he can leave on a free transfer, and both Barca and Arsenal are trying to sign him.
Mikel Arteta is thought to be a big fan of the German and wants to bring his experience and know-how to the Emirates, while Xavi views him as the ideal replacement for Sergio Busquets.
City do not want to lose their skipper, however, and recently upped their contract offer to a two-year deal at the request of Pep Guardiola, which Gundogan was thought to be close to accepting.
But now Spanish newspaper Sport are reporting that Barca have put forward a fresh proposal that both City and Arsenal will struggle to compete with.
The Catalan giants have now tabled a three-year contract offer worth around £7.7million per season – or £150,000-a-week.
That is slightly less than what he could earn at City or even Arsenal, but that is offset by the fact it is a longer-term deal and will last him until he is 35.
Gundogan has been in superb form for City in the run-in (Picture: Reuters)
Barca are confident the contract will be enough to convince Gundogan to sign and will look to finalise the deal once the Champions League final is over.
Arsenal and City have not given up, though neither will up their contract offers to three years which hands Barcelona a big advantage, while the Spanish side believe Gundogan wants to leave England and move to Catalonia.
The Germany international is said to be keen for a change of scenery, while he is reluctant to play for another Premier League club other than City.
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Gundogan is also believed to have received a late fourth offer from a club from Saudi Arabia, though his preference is to continue competing for silverware in Europe.
The City skipper, who has been in excellent form in the run-in, netted twice against Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday and was non-committal on his future afterwards.
Asked if winning at Wembley made him want to stay at City, Gundogan told the BBC: ‘To be honest I don’t need these kind of days to feel appreciated and to feel special in this club.
‘I know that, that’s why I am here already seven years, with all the ups and downs that I’ve had so far. And nothing is decided yet, so we’re going to see what’s going to happen.’
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The German is now being offered a three-year deal to move to Camp Nou.