According to a report from Manchester Evening News, Manchester City have have offered Ilkay Gundogan an option to stay at the Etihad Stadium with his contract set to expire at the end of this season. It is understood that the Sky Blues are considering a contract extension in the near future amid heavy interest from Barcelona.
Gundogan’s Impressive Form At The Etihad Stadium
Gundogan is having another decent campaign for Man City as he has produced a few influential displays at the centre of Pep Guardiola’s midfield. The 32-year-old has found the back of the net on two occasions and secured two assists in 25 matches for the Mancunian club this season across various competitions.
The veteran midfielder has performed well by averaging 1.2 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 1.8 shots and 1.7 key passes per game in the Premier League.
He has even been accurate when distributing the ball from midfield, based on his pass success rate of 88.9% in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
Should Guardiola Tie Him Down At Manchester City For A Couple More Years?
Gundogan can do a bit of everything at the centre of the park. He is a good tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to secure the ball back for his team in midfield. He can strike the ball well from long range and has got the eye to play some decisive passes in the final third. Gundogan mainly operates as a box-to-box midfielder but can also play as a defensive midfielder or in the number 10 position if asked to do so.
The German talent can even contribute by scoring and creating his fair share of goals going forward. The Man City talent has certainly injected more quality into Guardiola’s midfield department in recent years helping them compete for the Premier League crown several times.
At 32, Gundogan still has a few good years left in his locker to play at a high level. Therefore, the Spanish tactician would be wise to keep him at the Etihad Stadium by offering him a contract renewal in the coming days. He could still play a huge part in helping them win the UCL trophy which Guardiola hopes to achieve with his squad in the near future.
