Ilkay Gundogan’s wife Sara seemingly gave her approval for him to return to Manchester City earlier this year.
talkSPORT understands that the German midfielder is keen on re-signing for the Citizens after just one season spent with Barcelona.
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And the Blaugrana will not stand in the 33-year-old‘s way, where they will grant him a free transfer as they look to trim their wage bill.
Pep Guardiola is believed to have given City the green light in bringing the club’s ex-captain back to the Etihad.
And from an interview Sara Gundogan gave to the Daily Mail in February, it would be a move that has her blessing.
The 29-year-old, who once ranted about the quality of food in Manchester, revealed that she misses the city having relocated to Spain with her husband.
She said: “When I was in Manchester, my whole life was (originally) around football.
“My friends were football, the people I met through my husband, and then I didn’t have anything that was just my world outside of that.
“And I’m a social person. So it took me a bit of time, but I made it friends and it was really nice.
“After making friends, I was really happy. I had my own life and routine in Manchester and I have one of my best friends there.”
Discussing the difficulty of swapping England for Spain, Sara added: “Over the years I would see friends moving.
“So it’s something that’s always around in football and you would suddenly just have a phone call from them telling you they’re going to another country.
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“So, it’s always around, it’s always happening, but I didn’t imagine that it would be us and when it’s you it’s big a shock.
“It’s always sad, especially because you make friends, you’re happy somewhere, you build your life and then you have to leave all the people you love.'”
Gundogan enjoyed seven trophy-laden seasons at the Etihad, where he chipped in with 60 goals in 304 games in all competitions.
His final season saw him lift the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in what was a historic treble campaign for the Citizens.
He even fired in both goals in the FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United in a 2-1 victory at Wembley.
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