“In Manchester, they assume…” – Ilkay Gundogan future sees fresh twist amid Barcelona interest

Manchester City are looking increasingly accepting of the idea that current club captain Ilkay Gundogan could leave this summer.

Officials within the Etihad Stadium are starting to construct their plans for the upcoming summer transfer window, with the central midfield role viewed as an area of Pep Guardiola’s side that could require some attention in the coming months.

Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham is understood to be Manchester City’s number one transfer target for the position, with the England international likely to command a transfer fee well in excess of £110 million this summer.

But it is the subject of another player who switched Dortmund’s Black and Yellow for Manchester’s Sky Blue that dominates headlines this week, as Ilkay Gundogan’s future in the Premier League continues to rumble on.

Gundogan is into the final few months of his existing Manchester City contract, meaning he would be free to leave the club with no transfer fee attached at the end of the ongoing season.

Now, according to the information of Sique Rodríguez and Lu Martín speaking to Què T’hi Jugues, those in relevant positions at City assume that Gundogan will not continue with the club beyond the expiry of his current contract.

But where would that leave the Germany international, and who could he join this summer?

The same report states that the option of signing Ilkay Gundogan ‘continues to please’ La Liga giants Barcelona, and the Manchester City midfielder is a ‘more attractive’ option for the club in the coming months due to the fact that he could arrive on a free transfer.

As for Gundogan’s reported feelings on a potential move to Camp Nou, it is claimed that the 32 year-old former Borussia Dortmund midfielder is ‘very excited’ by the prospect of playing under Xavi – one of his idols in the game – at Barcelona.

For now, Manchester City’s focus will remain on sounding out the clear intentions of their captain, while ensuring that they have a concise list of possible replacements should he opt to leave at the end of the campaign.

While Jude Bellingham is their main target, the teenager is also being chased by the likes of Real Madrid and Liverpool, and as such City will likely hold a shortlist of back-up options.

In recent weeks, the likes of Leicester City’s James Maddison, West Ham United’s Declan Rice, and Chelsea duo Mateo Kovacic and Mason Mount have all been tied to tenuous interest from within the Etihad Stadium.