Ilkay Gundogan has completed his shock return to Manchester City, exiting Barcelona on a free transfer just one season after leaving the Etihad.

The German international has signed a one-year deal with the Cityzens with the option to extend his stay by a further season. 

Man City have confirmed that the returning midfielder will wear the No 19 shirt, with Mateo Kovacic having taken his previous squad number, No 8. 

Gundogan revealed that he had found a new appreciation for Manchester City during his year away in Barcelona after re-signing for the Premier League champions.

'When you leave this place, you spend a year away and you then start to appreciate the place even more,' Gundogan said. 'You realise what you had, how amazing the time was and how big the club is.

Ilkay Gundogan has completed his return to Man City, exiting Barcelona on a free transfer

'The best club in the world and I think in terms of football – getting back onto that level and coming back a year later is an incredible feeling. I am very pleased, very happy and I feel privileged to share the dressing room again with these amazing players. 

'The package that you get here – right now today, you can't find it anywhere else and that made it very easy for me to come back.'

Barcelona had made it clear that star players had to find new clubs and City moved quickly to secure the central midfielder.

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Gundogan has remained in touch with Pep Guardiola and City's players since departing and met back up with them before a pre-season friendly in Orlando last month.

'Having that opportunity to meet was amazing,' he added. 'Back then it wasn't even a topic to come back and re-join. Everything has happened quite quick in the last few days, so I wasn't thinking about it back then. Maybe that made it even more special and fulfilling for me.

'I have friends in Manchester – a lot of people in the last couple of days messaged me and asked me if the rumours were true. There are a lot of people in Manchester that I know and I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone again.

'We'll go for coffees in the city centre. I live in the city centre too so it's quite easy to go out and go for coffees which we love to do as a family. I hope the weather is good enough so we can do that, not so rainy!

'I arrived in my old new apartment; I kept it throughout the whole year. It's felt like home immediately. It's a joy.'

The 33-year-old also took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday to thank Barcelona fans, before stating that his departure will alleviate some of the financial burden on the cash-strapped LaLiga outfit. 

'Dear Culers,' he wrote. 'After just one year it's already time to say goodbye. I came here to face a new, exciting challenge, and I was ready for it. I have given everything to fight for the team and the club the best possible way in a difficult season and I was looking forward to helping my teammates in the new campaign.

'Now I am leaving in a difficult situation, but if my departure can help the club financially, it makes me a bit less sad.

'Nevertheless, it's been a time with incredible experiences and ups and downs - I always wanted to play at Barça, and I am very grateful for a memory and experience that I will remember for my life. I wish you the best for the season and for the future. The fans deserve to get this big club back to the world's best. Visca el Barça!'

Gundogan flew to Manchester on Wednesday and held talks with Guardiola during a 50-minute meeting at Tast Catala restaurant, an establishment owned by the City manager.

At the dinner, the pair discussed the 33-year-old's return to City along with chief executive Ferran Soriano, who was seen helping fans take pictures with the club legend.

He etched his name into the history books as Manchester City's captain during their historic Treble-winning captain in 2022-23, before opting to pursue a new chapter in Spain with LaLiga giants Barcelona. 

Gundogan joined Barcelona on a two-year contract last summer before making 51 appearances and scoring five goals. 

Opening up on why he chose to wear the No 19 jersey, he revealed to the club's website: 'There was a little bit of thinking behind it.

'Obviously, number 21 and 22 were free as well and I was last year 22 in in Barcelona and I was 21 in the German national team, but I didn't win any trophies with these numbers. 

'So, I thought OK and number 19 is between 18 and 20 between my two friends Bernardo Silva and Stefan Ortega.

'So that might be a sign, you know, and I just went for it. So let's see.

'It's hopefully not the number that will have a big influence it will be the way I am playing the way I'm behaving and the way we will be as a team, and I can assure you that we will try our best to win a lot.' 

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As a result of Barcelona's ongoing financial problems, the club have been unable to register new summer signing Dani Olmo following his move from Red Bull Leipzig.

The Catalan outfit will not be able to register Olmo after Gundogan's exit alone, but the veteran's return to the Etihad will help ease concerns over their finances.

Guardiola will undoubtedly be delighted by Gundogan's return to his squad, given the German was his first-ever signing at the Etihad in 2016.

The 33-year-old star will reunite with the likes of Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva in midfield and team up for the first time with Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes, who both joined the champions last summer as replacements for the Germany international in the engine room.

City are bidding for an unprecedented fifth successive Premier League title this season, although expect to be challenged by Mikel Arteta's Arsenal and Liverpool's new-look outfit under Arne Slot.

While Man City got their 2024-25 season off to a great start with a 2-0 victory against Chelsea last weekend, Gundogan insisted he is hungry to get back to winning trophies with his old club. 

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'Well, obviously the seven years I had here in my first spell, they played a big role [in my decision to return],' he said to the club's website. 'Getting to know this amazing club, getting to know the people working here, behind everything. Of course, also, the friendships that you made and the memories that you had.

'But by saying that, I don't want it to sound too nostalgic to be honest, because it's still about competing. It's still about having that drive. It's still about trying to be the best version of yourself and that's all an ambition that I still have, incredibly in myself, even though I'm now 33 years old.

'But I still want to prove myself every day in training sessions and games and still become the best possible version of myself. I still have an incredible sense for winning, for competing and I think the package that you get here, right now today, you can't find it anywhere else, and that made it for me very, very easy to come back.'

Gundogan won an array of honours with City, including the Champions League, five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups before moving to LaLiga.

He marks City's second signing of the summer following the arrival of Savinho from Troyes in a £21m transfer.