Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan both were keen to play for Barcelona, and made financial sacrifices to facilitate the move, revealed Jordi Cruyff in an interview with Fabrizio Romano.
The former Barcelona sporting director spoke about his desire to return to management, the insights he has gained from his role as a director at Barcelona and the pressure of performing at such a a top club.
Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan’s Barcelona transfer stories revealed by Jordi Cruyff
🚨🗣️ Jordi Cruyff: “Gundogan had offers from everywhere but he joined Barça because it was his dream.” pic.twitter.com/vYT5kMgg9B
— 𝐗𝐚𝐯𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐚 (@harryfcb21) May 26, 2024
The Poland striker was one of the top strikers in the world at the time at Bayern Munich. And Bayern were absolutely hell bent that they would not sell the Poland international. It was the player’s dream of playing for Barcelona that helped the move go through, alongside the financial sacrifices he was willing to make to get the transfer. As a result, the negotiations, which lasted months, ended a €45 million transfer.
A similar situation applied to Ilkay Gundogan, who chose Barcelona over several other offers, including massive financial offers from Saudi Arabia. The midfielder left Manchester City as a free agent last summer, and only had his mind set on Barca, in spite of them not being able to pay him as highly as other teams.
Lewandowski won the Pichichi Award in his first season, and has scored 19 LaLiga goals this term. But, he could ask for a pay rise next term, while Gundogan has been effective too, with one year left on his contract alongside the option for another year.
