Man City midfield maestro stalling over a new deal after Barcelona interest
According to a report from the Daily Mail, Manchester City superstar Ilkay Gundogan is delaying signing a new deal at the club after hearing of Barcelona interest.
Ilkay Gundogan, 30, emerged as one of the best players for Manchester City this past season. With 17 strikes across all competitions, he enjoyed the best goalscoring campaign in his glittering career so far.
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The Germany international, who was Pep Guardiola’s first signing when he replaced Manuel Pellegrini as City’s manager, contributed heavily to the Sky Blues’ Premier League and Carabao Cup success.
In fact, Gundogan was City’s top scorer last season, which demonstrates the improvement he has made in his offensive side of the game over the last nine months.
The Daily Mail claim Gundogan is now a wanted man following an outstanding campaign, with Barcelona potentially planning to sign the Manchester City midfielder after failing to land Georginio Wijnaldum, who has snubbed them for Paris Saint-Germain.
Gundogan has only two years remaining on his current deal at the Etihad Stadium. However, the 30-year-old midfielder is waiting to see if Barcelona step up their interest before deciding to commit his future at Manchester City, the report adds.
Pep Guardiola wants to refresh his squad in the summer transfer window after once again falling short in delivering the Champions League success. He has his eyes set on Harry Kane and Jack Grealish, and to acquire his summer’s top targets, the Spanish tactician is ready to let go of a few of his first-team stars.
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Ilkay Gundogan, however, is indispensable to City, especially after the 2020/21 Premier League season he has enjoyed. The box-to-box midfielder seems to have put his injury woes behind him and remains very much central to Guardiola’s plans moving forward.
The Germany international still has two years left on his deal, which shouldn’t bother City as of now even though there’s interest in the player from Barcelona. Keeping hold of Gundogan at any cost will be key for City ahead of the new campaign.