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

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.

Throw in a similar set of (highly impressive) performances for Germany in Euro 2024 and the signs are that he would be best suited to playing a similar role elsewhere, rather than as a more piratical and advanced supporting forward, as he often was at Manchester City. A return to his old club has is perhaps not inconceivable but Guardiola may not have a role for him given that Rodri already runs those slightly deeper areas of midfield so effectively.

Manchester United could certainly make good use of him but only Gündoğan knows if he’d be prepared to play that villain arc. Arsenal need someone more defensively impressive for their double pivot, and Spurs don’t play with the kind of balanced midfield three that makes the most sense for him either - they will likely lean on James Maddison for their creative output. Liverpool have a surfeit of midfielders, Chelsea simply a surfeit of players. But one side that makes a lot of sense is Newcastle United.

They play a dynamic, aggressive midfield which could be boosted by someone whose passing is as precise and as creative as Gündoğan’s, and while he might not be as fast as he once was he still presses hard and covers a lot of ground, which is important for the way Eddie Howe sets his side up. They need players who can get the ball forward quickly, one way or the other, and generate chances for their front three, and they could do with depth in central areas, especially if there’s any chance that Bruno Guimarães leaves.

Frankly, it probably isn’t too harsh of an insult to Sean Longstaff to suggest that, for all that he is a fine and hard-working player who has given everything he has to the Newcastle cause, Gündoğan would be better playing the same role – and could easily be the kind of player who would make a big difference in the race for the top four. Gündoğan passing statistics for last season were off the charts.

Newcastle probably couldn’t offer the same kind of money as the Middle Eastern sides allegedly interested – some irony there, let’s be honest – and if that’s the main motivating factor at this stage in the German’s career then that may well be all there is to it. But they are one of only a few teams with enough cash and clout to make it happen who also have a need to upgrade in a midfield whose shape would suit this slightly older version of Gündoğan pretty much perfectly.

Perhaps Flick is right and he will stay. Perhaps he will take the money and run to warmer climes than Tyneside. Maybe other big-name sides see a role for him as a playmaker within their own systems. But Gündoğan remains an exceptionally classy player who is adapting to the late phase of his career beautifully, and if a club like Newcastle have half a chance of signing him they would be foolish not to pick up the phone.