Owen Hargreaves has claimed that he feels Ilkay Gundogan will stay at Manchester City.
This evening could see the midfielder play his last game for City as his contract is set to expire at the end of the month.
Having been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium recently with the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain apparently interested, the 32-year-old could end his spell with the Citizens on the highest of highs by securing the treble as the club’s captain.
However, one pundit thinks the German could still put pen to paper on a new deal and continue his journey in Pep Guardiola’s side after the Champions League final agianst Inter Milan.
Hargreaves says Gundogan could stay with City
Speaking to BT Sport ahead of tonight’s match in Istanbul, Hargreaves said this about Gundogan and what he’s done for the club.
He said: “He was his first signing, wasn’t he, in a way and he’s almost the perfect Pep player.
“He can play multiple positions, he’s humble, doesn’t moan when he gets dropped, was voted the club captain by the players which tells you everything, which is amazing when you think about [Kevin] De Bruyne there and [Ruben] Dias and the players picked him.
“I think Kyle Walker nailed it he said when it comes to these crucial moments he turns into prime [Zinedine] Zidane, it’s mad.
“Some of the goals he scores in the big moments, just an amazing player, so humble.
“I expect him to stay, even if they win I expect him to stay. He’s not going to get it better than this anywhere, unless somebody wants a change of scenery but what a fabulous signing, amazing football player and a brilliant guy as well.”
Since arriving at the Etihad back in 2016 from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £20m, Gundogan has made 303 appearances for City across all competitions, scoring 60 goals, supplying 40 assists and winning numerous trophies in the process.
Having scored both goals in the club’s recent 2-1 win over Manchester United in the FA Cup final, as well as two goals each against Everton and Leeds United as they were closing in on their fifth Premier League title in six years, this highlights how capable the German is of stepping up in the important moments.
With the final against Inter providing the ideal opportunity for Gundogan to do just that and seal the treble for his club, we feel that after today, the main focus behind the scenes should be on convincing the midfielder to sign a new deal.
