In recent years, Barcelona have signed several players from Manchester City, but few have managed to meet expectations. Ilkay Gundogan was the only one to truly show a convincing level, although his time in La Liga lasted only a year. He returned last summer to his former club under Pep Guardiola, who needed to reduce the wage bill, with Gundogan being one of the players considered expendable.
Gundogan arrived at Camp Nou on a free transfer, and 12 months later, he left the same way, without leaving a single euro in the club’s coffers. Additionally, Barcelona signed Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero on free transfers. Garcia is likely to leave next summer, while Aguero was forced to retire shortly after due to a heart problem. On the other hand, there was a significant investment in Ferran Torres, with Joan Laporta paying 55 million euros at the request of Xavi Hernandez, an investment that has not justified itself, making Torres one of the first players Deco will seek to sell at the end of the season.
According to reports from the Spanish newspaper “El Nacional”, the experiences of players coming from Manchester City have not been positive for Barcelona, which is why the idea of signing any other star from the “Sky Blues,” such as Jack Grealish, has been ruled out. Grealish, who was a personal request from Pep Guardiola and the most expensive transfer in Manchester City’s history (with around 120 million euros paid to bring him in from Aston Villa), has never been able to establish himself as a regular player.
He became more famous for his life off the pitch than his performances on the field. This season, he has been completely excluded from the starting lineup, becoming the last option behind Phil Foden, Savio Moreira, Bernardo Silva, and Jeremy Doku.
Recently, the signing of Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt could prompt Grealish to leave Manchester City, as his agent offered him to Barcelona. However, Joan Laporta and Deco will not fall into the same trap this time and will not pursue the English player.