German international Ilkay Gundogan is set to reject overtures from Barcelona in favour of a stay at Premier League champions Manchester City.
As per a report from The Sun, Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan is set to turn down interest from La Liga champions Barcelona and commit his future to the Premier League giants.
The 27-year-old arrived at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016 from Borussia Dortmund for £20 million, as one of Pep Guardiola’s first signings. However, his first season with the Premier League heavyweights was a difficult one as he spent most of it out on the sidelines owing to a serious knee injury.
Gundogan went on to play a key role in Manchester City’s record-breaking Premier League title win last season. He made 48 appearances in all competitions, scoring 6 goals and setting up 7 more. In the 2018-19 season, the German international has featured five times across the board, registering a solitary assist.
Barcelona have been long-term admirers of the 27-year-old midfielder. Before his transfer to City, reports claimed that the reigning La Liga champions had an agreement to bring him to Camp Nou, but he opted to move to England instead.
The Catalans were believed to be interested in him in the summer transfer window as well, as they looked to replace the legendary Andres Iniesta. However, they ended up signing up Brazilian sensation Arthur Melo, along with former Juventus and Bayern Munich star Arturo Vidal.
Barcelona are understood to be intent on strengthening their midfield further and have been strongly linked with a move for Ajax’s Dutch sensation Frenkie de Jong. But, Gundogan too, remains high on their wishlist, and should an opportunity present itself, they will pounce to sign the German midfielder.
However, the report from The Sun claims that Gundogan is very happy at City and is enjoying playing under manager Guardiola. The former Dortmund man has two years left on his contract with the Premier League title holders and is reportedly keen on signing a new long-term deal.
A club source told The Sun, “Ilkay is happy here and the club want to keep him. There is interest in him but it is expected he will stay. He loves playing under Pep, but who wouldn’t? He also enjoys living in Manchester and the city and club as a whole.”
“There’s still a couple of years left on his contract but he has been great since joining and it won’t be long until it’s all sorted we hope.”
Along with Barcelona, there is also interest from Italian giants AC Milan in the midfielder, while a number of clubs in Germany are also monitoring his situation. However, with Gundogan looking to commit his future to the Mancunian outfit, a move away from the Etihad seems improbable at the moment.
