MX23RW : Friday, December 13 07:10:13| >> :120:23164:23164:

Manchester City 'fear Ilkay Gundogan could leave on free transfer'

Man City 'fear Gundogan could leave on free transfer'
© Reuters
Manchester City reportedly fear that midfielder Ilkay Gundogan could leave the club for free when his contract expires next summer.

Manchester City reportedly fear that midfielder Ilkay Gundogan could leave the club for free when his contract expires next summer.

The 32-year-old has spent the last six-and-a-half years at the Etihad Stadium and was elected the club's new captain at the beginning of this season following the departure of Fernandinho.

Gundogan remains a first-team regular under manager Pep Guardiola and has starting 12 of his 15 appearances for the Citizens across all competitions this season.

However, speculation continues to circulate about the midfielder's future at the Etihad, with the German able to negotiate pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs from January onwards.

According to Football Insider, Man City have made contact with Gundogan's representatives over extending his contract but both parties are yet to reach an agreement.

Ilkay Gundogan celebrates scoring for Manchester City on August 13, 2022© Reuters

Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich have all been credited with an interest in signing Gundogan, although the latter are understood to have pulled out of the race for his signature.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray are the latest club to express their interest in the midfielder, who is of Turkish descent and recently admitted that a switch to the SuperLig is under consideration.

"Because of my roots, Turkey is naturally interesting. I also like the USA, I've been there on vacation several times," Gundogan told Sport1.

On his contract situation at Man City, Gundogan added: "I'm not worried about that at the moment. I still have a contract in Manchester until 2023, I'm very happy there, both in sporting and private terms, and I can theoretically imagine ending my career with City."

Gundogan was Man City's first signing of the Guardiola era back in 2016 and the Spanish manager has recently heaped praise on the midfielder, describing him as a 'joy' to work with.

Ilkay Gundogan in action for Germany on September 26, 2022© Reuters

"Gundogan was the first player we signed when I became a manager. It is a pleasure to work with people like Ilkay," Guardiola told mancity.com last week. "I will never forget him. For me personally and for the team, he is an incredible football player, always grounded.

"He likes to be second position and always you can rely on him 100%. He gave us the Premier League (last season). He can play holding midfielder and attacking midfielder. He is so smart, can talk about the world.

"That is why he was voted by his mates as captain. We are incredibly happy with the decision we made to have him. In the first year he had an ACL injury but from the second season when we started winning the titles, he was there. It's a joy to have these human beings with you."

Gundogan has made a total of 269 appearances for City across all competitions, scoring 51 goals and providing 34 assists.

The 62-cap Germany international has also won a total of 11 trophies during his time at the Etihad, including four Premier League titles.

ID:498382:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6135:
Written by
Oliver Thomas

Click here for more stories about Ilkay Gundogan

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City's Fernandinho lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Premier League on May 22, 2022
Read Next:
Man City 2022-23 season preview - prediction, summer signings, star player
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
1.15am
Rams
@
49ers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool14112129111835
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1585229151429
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Brentford157263128323
10Fulham156542220223
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle155551921-220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton143561421-714
16Leicester CityLeicester153572130-914
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich151681427-139
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1523102338-159
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!