Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was hoping for a re-union with one of his former wards at Dortmund, but that looks unlikely to happen with reports coming in that Manchester City have finalized a deal with the midfielder.
German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has long been linked with a move to the Premier League after shining for Der Schwarzgelben over the past four seasons. His injury problems have derailed an otherwise promising career, although he is still 25 and more than capable of reaching his full potential as one of Europe’s best box-to-box midfielder.
Gundogan blossomed under current Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, as he led Dortmund to the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League final. Klopp arrived at Anfield in 2015 and he was instantly linked with a number of players he coached in the Bundesliga, with Gundogan believed to be very close to signing for the Reds in the January transfer window.
However, it now seems like there will be no re-union at Anfield, with the 25-year-old on the verge of completing a £19.3 million move to Manchester City, according to the Daily Mail. The arrival of Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Staium is believed to be a major factor in the midfielder’s decision.
The first Guardiola signing for City
A squad overhaul is imminent with Pep Guardiola arriving at Manchester City this season. The first casualty will most likely be Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure, who Guardiola packed off to City from Barcelona in 2011. Ilkay Gundogan is believed to be Guardiola’s replacement for Toure, with both adept at playing in a central midfield position but the youth of Gundogan being preferred to the 30+ Toure.
The deal is set to be finalized in the coming weeks and will be the first signing of the Guardiola era at Man City. Gundogan would fit in perfectly with the impressive Fernandinho in central midfield for the Citizens. The Catalan is set to bring in a number of big players in the summer, as he hopes to elevate the “noisy neighbours” to a new level of competition.
