Guardiola wants Gundogan to stay at Manchester City

Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola hopes club captain Ilkay Gundogan will stay at the Etihad after his contract expires.

Gundogan’s future is currently the subject of speculation, due to his contract with the Citizens will end at the end of June.

Barcelona are said to be interested in signing the 32-year-old player. However, Guardiola confirmed his desire to continue working with the experienced midfielder beyond the end of the 2022-23 season.

“I said about the contract, the club is involved and knows my opinion. They are above me, we take decisions together, the good and the bad,” said Guardiola.

The coach from Spain also did not forget to praise Gundogan’s contribution, who scored two goals to help Man City win 2-1 over Leeds, Saturday (6/5/2023) yesterday. Guardiola rates Gundogan as a smart player.

“You don’t need to score two goals to know exactly how much I like this player and enjoy working with him and how I would like to work with him in the future,” he said.

Gundogan was again an important player for Man City during the 2022-23 season, appearing in 45 matches in all competitions, scoring seven goals and registering five assists in the process.

The midfielder has scored six goals and provided four assists in 29 Premier League appearances. Meanwhile he contributed one goal and one assist in 10 Champions League matches.

Gundogan moved to the Etihad Stadium from Borussia Dortmund in 2016. He has defended the Citizens in 298 games, scoring 56 goals and registering 38 assists in the process.

The midfielder is believed to be looking for a new challenge at this stage of his career and seems keen to see how Man City end this season before making a final decision.

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