Barcelona president Joan Laporta has alluded to, without directly confirming anything, the signing of Ilkay Gundogan being a done deal.

The 32-year-old German is widely reported to have agreed an initial two-year contract after leaving Manchester City on a free transfer.

No official announcement has been made on the former Cityzen captain, but Laporta was in confident mood at the 'Barca Vision' presentation this afternoon at the Camp Nou.

"The market is responding well, the top players in the world prioritise signing for Barcelona," said Laporta.

"The priority objective, as we've been saying, was winning titles, but we have the obligation to look for ways to capitalize on the powerful brand we have with 440 million followers on social media.

"Barcelona is a benchmark in many fields and ways. We work to maintain the balance between economic sustainability and sporting excellence.

"Barcelona is a step ahead in growth strategies for our digital and media business and that will impact on the economy of our organisation. We are more than a club."

¿Qué es Barça Vision? pic.twitter.com/8iASdvLcI3

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) June 21, 2023

Pride

Laporta can rightly feel satisfied after a strong season of footballing success - and success in other disciplines, too - and he was optimistic that things will go from strength to strength.

Without naming Gundogan, he was able to nod to that deal being almost complete, with Mateu Alemany currently in Munich dotting the i's and crossing the t's.

Gundogan has already passed a medical examination and the Germany midfielder will sign for two seasons with the option of a third.

Platform

The Blaugrana president was making these remarks while unveiling 'Barca Vision', a content platform where the club intends to group together all of its digital initiatives, such as those related to Wed3, NFTs and the Metaverse. This will be done under the commercial brand 'Bridgeburg Invest', a subsidiary of 'Barca Studios'.

This is part of Barcelona's plan to build 'Espai Barca Digital' and bring together a digital community of Blaugrana fans from all over the world, focusing on engagement with younger generations.