In recent years, Barcelona have acquired multiple players from Manchester City, but few have lived up to expectations. Among them, only Ilkay Gundogan managed to make a strong impression, although his stint in La Liga was brief, lasting just one season.
He returned to his former club, Manchester City, last summer, as Pep Guardiola sought to trim the wage bill, making Gundogan one of the expendable players.
Gundogan initially joined Barcelona on a free transfer, and a year later, he left the same way, without generating any financial gain for the Catalan club.
Similarly, Barcelona also secured the signings of Eric Garcia and Sergio Aguero at no cost. However, Garcia is expected to leave in the upcoming summer transfer window, while Aguero’s career was tragically cut short due to a heart condition that forced him into early retirement.
Another high-profile arrival from Manchester City was Ferran Torres, who cost the club a hefty €55 million at Xavi Hernandez’s request. Unfortunately, the investment has not yielded the desired results, and as a consequence, Deco is reportedly prioritizing his sale at the end of the season.
According to reports from the Spanish outlet El Nacional, Barcelona’s track record with former Manchester City players has been largely disappointing. This history has led the club to rule out the possibility of signing another City star, such as Jack Grealish.
Grealish, who was a personal request from Pep Guardiola and the most expensive signing in Manchester City’s history—costing around €120 million from Aston Villa—has struggled to establish himself as a key player for the team.
Rather than making headlines for his performances, Grealish has garnered more attention for his lifestyle off the pitch. This season, he has fallen out of Guardiola’s starting lineup, slipping behind Phil Foden, Savio Moreira, Bernardo Silva, and Jeremy Doku in the pecking order.
Recent developments suggest that Manchester City’s acquisition of Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt could accelerate Grealish’s departure. His representatives reportedly offered him to Barcelona as a potential signing. However, this time, Joan Laporta and Deco have decided against making the same mistake and have rejected the opportunity to pursue the English winger.
Given the club’s past disappointments with ex-Manchester City players, they are unwilling to take another gamble on a high-cost transfer that may not yield the expected returns.
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