According to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell, Manchester City will be making a ‘big mistake’ if they allow midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to leave the club this summer.

The Lowdown: Gundogan free to move on

The 31-year-old first made the move to the Etihad in a £20m move from Borussia Dortmund six years ago, where he has since gone on to make a staggering 252 senior appearances for the Sky Blues across all competitions, far more than he's made at any other club.

Despite still having just over one year remaining on his contract with the Manchester outfit, it has recently been reported by the Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan that Gundogan has been told he is free to find a new club in the coming months, with a City departure looking ever more likely for the maestro.

[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/man-city-latest-developments-3/" title="Man City latest developments!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]

The Latest: Campbell reacts to ‘big mistake’

When asked for his reaction to the huge transfer news, Campbell admitted that he thinks the current Premier League leaders are making completely the wrong decision,

He told Football Insider: “I think Manchester City would be making a big mistake.

“I think he’s a really good player so I’m not so sure about that.

“He scored nearly 20 goals last season. To score that many from midfielder is incredible.

“If he comes onto the market I’m sure there will be some serious clubs interested in him. He is a really good player.

“Injuries have robbed him of a lot of game time. That is what happens sometimes. Sometimes you just can’t keep fit. He has shown this season that he is able to come back though.

“I’m sure somebody will be really interested in picking him up. He’s a great player.”

The Verdict: A huge loss

Gundogan has proven to be a brilliant long-term servant for City, having netted 47 goals and provided 33 assists during his time at the club, as per Transfermarkt, and it would be a huge loss to the first team squad if he were to say goodbye this summer.

The 56-cap international has still played a prominent role in Pep Guardiola’s squad this term and has had a real positive influence when on the pitch, averaging two shots and 1.5 key passes per league game, not to mention his 91.1% pass success rate, via WhoScored.

The 5 foot 9 talisman isn’t getting any younger and that could have been a big deciding factor for the hierarchy, but age is surely just a number when you possess as much quality as someone like Gundogan does.

In other news… Fabrizio Romano has shared a huge update with details surrounding one Man City ace’s departure.