Soccer Football - Premier League - Leicester City v Manchester City - King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain - October 29, 2022 Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan wears a rainbow colored armband REUTERS/Chris Radburn EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Manchester City reportedly fear that Ilkay Gundogan could be on his way out of the club at the end of the season, according to recent reports.Â
The Lowdown: Summer exodus
The summer transfer window saw the Premier League champions cash in on the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko, while also seeing Fernandinho leave as a free agent.
Looking ahead to next summer’s transfer market, it seems as though the club could be at risk of seeing another one of their key players wave goodbye to the Etihad Stadium once the current season ends.
The Latest: Gundogan to follow?
According to Football Insider on Monday, City fear that Gundogan will snub their contract offer and leave on a free transfer once his current deal expires in June.
The report also claims that the Citizens have ‘been in contact with Gundogan’s camp to discuss an extension but there is no agreement currently in place’.
It is further stated that the midfielder ‘has suitors from the Premier League as well as on the Continent amid fears at the Etihad Stadium he is keen on a new challenge’.
The Verdict: A key figure for City
After scoring two title-winning goals in the final game of City’s 2021/22 Premier League season, the German has shown in this campaign how vital a figure he is for the team and Pep Guardiola.
With 10 league games under his belt, only Kevin De Bruyne (38) has made more key passes than the 32-year-old (21) among City’s squad this term. From a defensive point of view, only three other players at the club have made more recoveries than the ex-Dortmund midfielder (45), highlighting just how useful he is off the ball as well as in possession
Would you be disappointed if Gundogan left City this summer?
Yes
No
Hailed as a “magnificent” player by BBC football writer Phil McNulty in the past, Gundogan would definitely be a big miss for City going forward if he were to leave the club next summer.
With that in mind, we feel that the Etihad hierarchy should do all that they can to get the player to sign a new deal with Guardiola’s side.
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