Liverpool look like they are in serious need of reinforcements, and Borussia Dortmund star Ilkay Gundogan might just have set the wheels in motion for his transfer to the Merseyside club.
Gundogan has refused to sign a new contract with Dortmund according to German publication Bild [via Liverpool Echo], and it seems like the Germany international might be yet another star poised to leave the club at the end of the season. Gundogan’s current contract runs out at the end of the 2016/17 season, and the Reds would be looking to cash in on the 25-year-old in the coming summer transfer window.
The current Liverpool midfield is manned by the likes of Lucas Leiva, Emre Can and club captain Jordan Henderson. However, the Reds have not really been consistent this season, and that has given rise to rumours about manager Jurgen Klopp looking to make a host of changes to the squad in the summer.
Gundogan has been instrumental for Dortmund from the middle of the park, with a tremendous passing accuracy of 87.6 per cent. Also, he is one of the players who have had first-hand experience of what it takes to operate under Klopp’s strenuous system of ‘heavy metal football’.
Gundogan can be a cheap acquisition for the Reds
The 25-year-old midfielder is currently rated at around £23 million by Transfermarkt, but Dortmund could sell Gundogan at a much cheaper rate than that, as he would have only one year left on his contract by the time the summer transfer window begins.
A deal like this could turn out to be beneficial for both Gundogan and Liverpool, as the Reds would get a quality player at a reasonable rate, and Gundogan would be able to get regular action in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. To add to that, he would be playing under a system under which he has thrived before at Dortmund led by Klopp.
Liverpool have stiff competition for Gundogan
Dortmund might agree to sell Gundogan at a reasonable price, but Liverpool would have to be on their guard if they do indeed decide to go for the Germany international. Artur Petrosyan, the editor-in-chief of Russian news outlet Sport Express, says that the likes of Juventus and Real Madrid are also after Gundogan’s signature, which makes the matter of landing the German quite difficult.
Juventus are now also in for Ilkay Gundogan. Them, Real Madrid and Liverpool will all try to sign him in the summer.
— Artur Petrosyan (@arturpetrosyan) February 18, 2016
To add to that, Manchester City and Arsenal are also rumoured to be interested in Gundogan. The Arsenal rumour seems to be the unlikeliest of them all, as the Gunners have a large number of quality midfielders in their squad at the moment.
However, it would be interesting to see whether the Liverpool (who might not be able to offer Champions League football next season) offer looks as interesting as a transfer to Serie A champions Juventus, Spanish giants Real Madrid, and the financially significant Manchester City where Pep Guardiola is set to take over as the manager next season.