Ilkay Gundogan reveals expectation surrounding Manchester City future | OneFootball

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has admitted his current expectation surrounding his future beyond this summer, speaking in a new interview.

The 34-year-old has now concluded the initial one-year contract he signed with Pep Guardiola’s side towards the end of the last summer transfer window, when he completed a shock return to the club.

That switch came just one year after leaving Manchester City on a free transfer in light of their Treble success in 2023, joining FC Barcelona and enjoying a bright debut season with the La Liga giants across competitions.

However, following financial complications with the Catalan giants, a decision was taken to remove Gundogan from Hansi Flick’s playing squad to make economic room for other players, as such opening the door for an immediate exit.

Manchester City showed little hesitation in bringing back a player whom they knew so well, penning an initial one-year agreement with Gundogan, with the automatic extension of a further 12 months should he complete a set number of appearances in the 2024/25 campaign.

With injuries hampering Pep Guardiola’s squad, the iconic midfielder has been integral to everything City have gone through during the recently-concluded season, making 50 appearances across all competitions and activating the extension clause in his deal.

Now, speaking after Manchester City’s crucial 0-2 final day win over Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, Ilkay Gundogan spoke to reporters around his future at the Etihad Stadium and the prospect of remaining at the club.

“Nobody has said anything [different] to me so far,” the former Germany international said from Craven Cottage.

He continued, as per ESPN, “My contract got extended another year so obviously that’s what I expect right now.”

Talk around Ilkay Gundogan’s future has only intensified in recent weeks as a direct result of club officials eyeing a rebuild of Guardiola’s playing squad, with a couple of new central players being eyed for investment in the market.

AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders is viewed as a primary target to bring into the club and talks are believed to be advancing with an intention to conclude a deal before the FIFA Club World Cup across June and July.

Elsewhere and a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne is also essential, and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White is a profile that the likes of Hugo Viana and Txiki Begiristain are pursuing with intent.