There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Ilkay Gundogan’s future at Manchester City as he’s out of contract in the coming months without looking close to signing a new deal.
The 32-year-old has said in the past that he’d be willing to stay in Manchester if he remained a regular in the first-team, but Graeme Bailey told TEAMtalk that Gundogan is thinking about returning to Germany. Bayern Munich have been previously linked.
He said: “He is out of contract in the summer, and I understand a move back home to Germany is something he is seriously considering.” The playmaker has made 281 appearances in all competitions for City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, scoring 51 goals with 35 assists.
Gundogan has been a regular under Pep Guardiola this season, featuring in 28/32 games across the board. He’s started in 23 of those matches and is an important player to Pep, but the delay in his new deal being signed might force City to have a contingency plan.
The German international is third in the City squad for chances created per game (1.6), third for shots per game (1.8) and fifth for tackles per game (1.1), so he won’t be an easy player to replace. Gundogan had a hand in 16 goals in all competitions last season, so he brings a lot of value to the Sky Blues.
But it’s not uncommon for a player to want to end their career in their home country, where things began, so it wouldn’t be a shock if Gundogan did go to the Bundesliga. Time will tell.
In other news, John Stones was substituted in FA Cup clash after picking up injury
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