Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal believe that they could be able to sign Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan in the summer transfer window, according to a report.
Football Transfers are reporting this afternoon that there is a belief at Arsenal that they could be able to convince Ilkay Gundogan to leave Manchester City and move to the Emirates Stadium on a free transfer in the summer of 2023.
Arsenal see an opening to sign Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan
According to the report, the 32-year-old Germany international midfielder wants to stay at City.
City manager Pep Guardiola wants the former Borussia Dortmund star to stay at the Etihad Stadium as well.
The problem is in the length of the contract.
Gundogan wants a three-year deal, but Premier League champions City “are only prepared to offer him one plus an additional one as an option”.
According to the report, this “presents Arsenal with an opening and there is a belief that if he is offered a longer deal at similar wages by Mikel Arteta’s side, he will be prepared to accept it.”
“The Gunners boss is aware of this and knows that he will have to offer Gundogan at least a two-year to stand any chance of landing the player,” adds the report.
Tricky for the Gunners
In our view, Ilkay Gundogan’s demands over the length of his new contract poses a problem for Arsenal.
Now, while we know that the German is a brilliant player and has been described as “the complete midfield player” by former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood on Sky Sports News on May 20, 2023, he is 32 years of age.
True, Gundogan is at the top of his game at the moment, but you never know what could happen in two or three years’ time.
Now, of course, a player of Gundogan’s quality is not going to be happy with just a one-year deal.
The midfielder will surely value himself highly and will be convinced that he has a fair few years left in him at the highest level.
We believe that Arsenal should offer the midfielder a two-year contract with the option of another year.
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