Gundogan backed for Man City stay

Football pundit Frank McAvennie has reacted to recent rumours linking Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan with a move away from the club in the summer.

The Lowdown: Gundogan linked with summer exit

The German is set to see his contract at the Etihad Stadium expire at the end of the current season. This has seemingly led to recent reports claiming that both Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich are interested in signing the midfielder as a free agent in the summer.

With that in mind, McAvennie has offered his thoughts on the matter, stating what he thinks Gundogan should do.

The Latest: McAvennie speaks out on Gundogan’s future

Speaking to Football Insider, the former West Ham United striker had his say in response to the recent reports linking Atletico and Bayern with the City star.

The 62-year-old said: “That is two good teams with two good managers. [Diego] Simeone is doing a great job. Madrid is like London, it is a big, wonderful footballing city. But so is Munich. I do not think the money would be that different.

“For me, it would be either or because they are both huge clubs. He is a good player, I do not know if Man City will let him go. I think you would want to stay at Man City if you were looking at those three clubs.

“It is great when people want you, it shows you are doing the right thing. It will make him better because it will give him a boost of confidence and he will know he won’t drop down the pecking order if clubs like that are interested in him.”

The Verdict: Offer Gundogan a new contract

Having appeared in all but two of City’s games across all competitions this season, donning the captain’s armband more often than not, this highlights just how important the 32-year-old is for Pep Guardiola.

In addition, the midfielder – who has been praised by journalist Josh Bunting for his “beautiful” ability on the pitch – has shown in this Premier League campaign how useful a figure he is in an attacking and defensive sense.

Is Ilkay Gundogan underrated?

Yes

No

For example, only Kevin De Bruyne (43) has made more key passes than Gundogan among Guardiola’s squad (23), while only three City players boast a higher combined total of tackles and interceptions than the German (18).

Taking all that into account, we feel that it should be one of City’s top priorities to get the midfielder to sign a new deal and continue his journey with the club.