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Recently retired Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has reacted to Barcelona allowing Ilkay Gundogan to leave on a free transfer this summer. Gundogan had arrived at the Camp Nou last summer.
In his lone season at the Camp Nou, the former Manchester City man contributed five goals and 14 assists in 51 games across competitions. All five goals and nine of those assists came in 36 La Liga outings, with Barca relinquishing their title to arch-rivals Real Madrid.
However, despite his Barca contract running till 2026, Gundogan was linked with an exit this summer. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has reported that the La Liga giants have allowed the midfielder to leave for free.
Romano also added that Gundogan's former side, City, are working on a deal to secure their former captain on a free transfer, pending the player's decision, following manager Pep Guardiola's green light for the return.
Kroos - who was teammates with Gundogan for Germany at Euro 2024 - reacted to the news with 'Wow', as tweeted by Reshad Rahman.
Following the tournament, both Kroos and Gundogan announced their international retirements. While Kroos has retired from the game, Gundogan is set to continue his club career, seemingly back at the Etihad.
As per BBC, Barca's inability to register new players due to their poor financial condition might have contributed to letting go Gundogan despite new boss Hansi Flick wishing for his compatriot to stay. Gundogan didn't play the 2-1 win at Valencia in Barca's La Liga opener last weekend.
How has Barcelona's Ilkay Gundogan fared against Toni Kroos' former club Real Madrid?
Barcelona midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has played Real Madrid 12 times across competitions for three different sides, scoring once and assisting as many times. He holds a 5-5 career record against Los Blancos.
Nine of these meetings have happened in the UEFA Champions League - four with Borussia Dortmund and five with Manchester City. Gundogan's lone assist against Toni Kroos' former side Real Madrid came in the 2022-23 semi-final first leg, which ended 1-1 away before City won 4-0 at the Etihad enroute winning the competition.
Gundogan's only goal against Los Blancos came with Barcelona, in a 2-1 La Liga home loss. The German drew blanks as Xavi's side lost the reverse fixture 3-2 at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The former City man also didn't make a goal contribution as Barca lost 4-1 in the Supercopa Espana final with Los Blancos earlier this year.
