Barcelona Transfer News: Latest on Ilkay Gundogan and Dani Alves Rumours

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has revealed that he is holding talks with Barcelona ahead of a potential move away from the Westfalenstadion.

The 24-year-old German also hinted at a link with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, while he has been consistently linked with a switch to Manchester United, per the Express's David Wright.

When asked about links to Barca and Bayern, Gundogan conceded that he has been in talks with both clubs, but hasn't completely ruling out staying at Dortmund ahead of the arrival of new boss Thomas Tuchel, per Anthony Hay of the Daily Mail:

"

We are holding talks yes, but no decision has been made. I can't say more than that on this. I'll leave it [Dortmund future] open as to whether they continue with or without me. BVB are a great team and a really good coach is coming. I don’t know how the team will look next season. The challenge will be to get the great potential of this team back on the pitch. We managed to do that too little during the last year.

"

If the Catalan giants are to win the race to sign Gundogan, they will hope for him to stay at Dortmund until January, as they are still under a transfer ban for the summer window.

The ban will be lifted in January 2016, but it may well be that Gundogan has moved on by then, with Dortmund's chief executive, Hans-Joachim Watzke, recently revealing a summer move was imminent, per the Express: 

"

Gundogan will be leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer. That is a fact. I am very confident we will see various clubs coming in for him. It has not been our intention to see him leave. It was his ambition to move clubs [this summer]. Therefore, we agreed. We will sell him.

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A £20 million-rated player, Gundogan would be a fine asset at any side. He has the ability to control play from midfield, contributing in defence as well as going forward.

However, Spanish football writer Rafael Hernandez is not confident that the German international will wait until Barcelona can sign him in January: 

"

Surprising! I don’t see Gundogan waiting for Barcelona until January though. There’s a limit to everything. https://t.co/uTwUm1Ae97

— Rafael Hernández (@RafaelH117) May 31, 2015"

An alternative move to United may not be in the cards though, as they have reportedly said Gundogan is not on their radar, per the Express.

Equally, Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe does not believe Bayern are in need of a new central midfielder, so perhaps they will not look to bring Gundogan in over the summer:

Barca will be scuppered in their pursuit of Gundogan if he has his heart set on a summer move, but if that does not materialise, the La Liga champions could be in with a distinct chance of signing him up.

Alves Not Moving to PSG, Says Blanc

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Paris St-Germain boss Laurent Blanc insists that Barca right-back Dani Alves will not make a move to the French capital over the summer.

The Brazilian is out of contract at Camp Nou at the end of June, and he has been heavily linked with a free-transfer switch to the Ligue 1 champions for some time, per The Guardian.

However, Blanc has ruled out the mooted move and believes Alves may actually end up staying on at Barca despite drawn out and seemingly failed contract talks, per BeIN Sports (via Miles Chambers of Goal.com):

"

Daniel Alves will not come to PSG. I do not think so anyway. He is out of contract but his intention is to extend with Barca. It is a game he is playing with his club, he's awaiting their proposal. It's nice for the press to have something to talk about, but there has been no contact that I know of.

"

Barca would do well to keep the 32-year-old Alves on their books. He has had an impressive season and still provides a great deal going forward on the right flank.

He is most certainly still the best right-back at the club, and without the ability to sign a new player in the position until January, Alves still has a role to play.

While PSG have been ruled out as a potential destination for the former Sevilla man, the Red Devils could still be an option, having been heavily linked with a move for Alves, per Mark Ogden in The Telegraph. 

The situation is unlikely to be resolved imminently with Barca preparing for Saturday's Champions League final against Juventus, but Alves' future clearly does not lie in Paris.