Ilkay Gundogan could leave Manchester City at the end of the season as his contract is up next summer and he’s not put pen to paper on an extension since talks began in 2021.
Will Ilkay Gundogan leave Manchester City next summer?
Yes
No
The 32-year-old can sign a pre-contract deal with non-English clubs, so a number of European giants are being linked with Bosman moves – Bayern Munich, Juventus, Barcelona.
Christian Falk of Sport Bild says Bayern aren’t trying to bring the German international back to the Bundesliga, however. He wrote on Twitter: ‘Not True, is that Bayern is interested in Ilkay Gündogan’ so a return to the homeland isn’t on the cards.
That doesn’t mean Gundogan won’t be on the move though. He was coy about his future when asked in August and has been in talks since last year without progress being made, so this could be his final season in Manchester. And as a talented playmaker who is still scoring and making assists, Gundogan won’t be short of offers.
Guardiola still rates the midfielder highly and has used Gundogan in 16 of City’s 20 games this season, but all the signs are leaning towards an eventual parting of ways. It would be sad to lose another one of the old guard on a free transfer after Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho.
In other news, Fernandinho admits Pep Guardiola ‘was surprised’ by him announcing Man City exit
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