Tony Cascarino thinks Pep Guardiola might not be able to convince Arsenal transfer target Ilkay Gundogan from leaving Manchester City.
The former striker pointed out that Jurgen Klopp, only 12 months ago, ‘couldn’t stop’ Sadio Mane from packing his bags and setting off on his now-troublesome transfer to Bayern Munich.
Ilkay Gundogan is in a different situation in the sense that his contract is running down and contract offers, from elsewhere, have probably already been put on the table for him to sign, with Cascarino adding ‘Guardiola never wants a player who thinks he’s doing Man City a favour’, as he told talkSPORT.
With the treble around the corner for Gundogan and Manchester City, it isn’t a surprise that a number of top clubs are keen on signing the 32-year-old.
No more so than his former coach Mikel Arteta, with reports that Arsenal have offered the goalscoring midfielder a ‘two-year’ contract.
Either way, after the Champions League final on Saturday, Gundogan has a big call to make on his future, with Cascarino using Mane’s exit at Liverpool as an example.
“He’s been a fabulous player of a whole list of fabulous players that they have had in the last ten years,” said Cascarino.
“I always love seeing great players in the Premier League. One thing I am aware of is that deals could be so far down the line that there is no turning back. Pep (Guardiola) might say ‘look, we tried’ and I am sure they would have tried their socks off to keep him.
“Is it that last moment where he has a change of heart? And he goes ‘I will settle for this length of contract and this amount of money. I want to stay here’.
“Or is he going to do a Mane and go ‘I want to move on’ because Klopp couldn’t stop Mane from leaving. He was happy to say ‘if that’s your decision, then I am not going to stop you’. Guardiola is never going to want a player that thinks he is doing Man City a favour. No matter how good he is.”
The grass isn’t always greener
Just ask Mane. The decline of the player since his Liverpool exit has been alarming and he has gone from being talked about for a Ballon d’Or contender 12 months ago to sitting on Bayern’s bench.
Gundogan is a high, high-class operator and he would elevate many teams, but there is a reason why the likes of Raheem Sterling, Joao Cancelo and Leroy Sane haven’t hit those very same heights since departing the Etihad.
Perhaps it’s a sign to Gundogan that he should stay put because you can’t get better than winning trophies on a regular basis.
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