Is Arsenal signing Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City?
According to The Athletic, Arsenal is considering a free agent acquisition of Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan this summer.
With Saturday’s (May 20) shocking 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest, the Gunners’ Premier League title dreams were dashed. At the beginning of April, they were six points ahead of Manchester City, but they won just two of their next six games, allowing the Citizens to close the gap to seven.
Arsenal’s seemingly unstoppable winning streak has finally come to an end. Mikel Arteta is looking forward to the next transfer window with the intention of building on the success of this season.
The midfield is an area that the North London giants want to improve. To that end, they have long been linked to West Ham United’s Declan Rice and Chelsea’s Mason Mount in an effort to bolster their attacking options.
If Granit Xhaka goes, the source said, the Gunners may look to add another midfielder to their roster. According to rumours, the Switzerland international is nearing a £13 million transfer to Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.
As a result, Manchester City star Gundogan is now on Arsenal’s radar. The club’s efforts to recruit the midfielder are being spearheaded by Arteta.
Since his £20 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund to the Citizens in 2016, Gundogan has been a key member of the team. He has played in 301 games for the club, scoring 58 goals and adding 40 assists. he has been instrumental in the team’s 12 trophy wins, including five Premier League championships.
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The 32-year-old’s Etihad future remains uncertain, though, since his contract expires in June. According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City is eager to keep him and has given him a one-year contract with a one-year extension.
Is Arsenal signing Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City?
Meanwhile, Barcelona is said to be keen on acquiring the central midfielder. According to reports, the La Liga champions have already sent an offer to the player.
However, Arsenal may try to get Gundogan to play at the Emirates Stadium. After spending a combined £75 million on Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer, they are ready to attack the Citizens again.
Jesus and Zinchenko were crucial additions to the London Giants’ championship defence this season, so those two transactions paid out. The former recorded 10 goals and six assists in only 25 league games, while the latter played 33 times for the club across all competitions, with great success at the inverted full-back position.
