Galatasaray boss speaks out on interest in Barcelona star

Galatasaray head coach Okan Buruk has on Friday provided his take on the recent speculation surrounding his side’s interest in Barcelona star İlkay Gündoğan.

Midfielder Gündoğan, for his part, is of course fresh off a stellar debut campaign on the books of Barcelona.

After opting to link up with Xavi’s troops on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract terms with Manchester City, the German international quickly established himself as a pivotal member of the Blaugrana’s engine room ranks.

In fact, many would no doubt argue that Gündoğan stood out as the club’s most consistent performer, on his way to five goals and an impressive 14 assists across all competitions.

Recent rumours linking the German international with a potential Barca exit, as a result, had come as a major surprise.

Amid alleged interest in his services from the Turkish Süper Lig, the aforementioned Galatasaray, for one, have been tipped as a potential landing spot.

Speaking to the media after penning a contract extension with Gala on Friday, the subject of his side’s Gündoğan links was in turn put to the aforementioned Okan Buruk.

The Turk, however, went on to confirm that, for the time being, Gündoğan will be staying put at Barcelona:

“İlkay is a very high-level player,” Buruk began, as cited by beIN Sports. “Every coach would like to see him in his squad. I have information that he will continue his career there for one more year. İlkay is both a good player and high-level in terms of character and humanity. Of course, everyone would like to see him in their squad, but he will continue for one more year in Barcelona.”

Conor Laird | GSFN