Journalist, Mark Ogden, has suggested that Manchester City may have to present a special offer to keep hold of Ilkay Gundogan this summer.
With his current contract at the club set to expire at the end of the month, the midfielder has found himself having caught the attention of Barcelona, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, who may look to sign him as a free agent.
Now that the German’s contract is just days away from expiring, one journalist has weighed in on the matter and dropped a claim over what City may need to do if they want him to stay at the Etihad Stadium.
Ogden weighs in on Gundogan situation
Speaking in a recent video on the ESPN FC YouTube channel, Ogden said this about Gundogan and his current situation.
He said: “It’s really out of City’s hands because he is a free agent.
“He’s won the treble with Man City, he’s 32 I think, he’s lifted the European Cup. If he stays at Man City what else can he do that’s better than what he’s done?
“He’s been there seven years now, he’s a player that I would imagine, he’s an intelligent guy, Gundogan, I think he wants to taste another experience before he retires and I think if the opportunity to play for Barcelona comes up, he’s also got offers from Arsenal and Saudi Arabia as well so he’s got three different kinds of offers there so I do think that unless City come up with some two-year deal that is so lucrative he can’t turn down, I think he’ll leave because I just think he wants to try something new.”
Having captained the Citizens to their first Champions League title on top of securing their fifth Premier League title in six years and the FA Cup, it’s safe to say that it’s been a successful first season for Gundogan as the club’s main captain.
Across the season, the 32-year-old started 45 of the 51 games he featured in for Pep Guardiola’s side, which highlights how vital he is for the team and why he’d be a big miss for them if he were to leave this summer.
With all of that in mind, we feel that City should do what Ogden has suggested and present their captain with an offer he wouldn’t be able to turn down as long as it kept him at the club.
