Barcelona register Ilkay Gündogan ahead of La Liga opener

Barcelona continue to work on registering their new signings and contract renewals ahead of Sunday’s La Liga opener against Getafe, and now the summer’s top signing is officially part of the squad.

Ilkay Gündogan’s name has been added to Barça’s squad on La Liga’s official website, and it appears as though the German has chosen number 22, which used to belong to Raphinha. Gündogan was presented with the number 5 and wore #14 throughout preseason, but he’s decided to go with the same number from his time at Nürnberg, his first professional club.

There was serious tension within the Barça camp when it came to Gündogan’s registration. His salary was the highest among the players who needed to be registered, and there was a clause in the midfielder’s contract that allowed him to terminate the deal and once again become a free agent if his registration wasn’t completed.

But we can all breathe a sigh of relief now, and look forward to a season of Gündogan Magic in the Barça midfield starting this Sunday.