Ilkay Gundogan has ruled out a return to Germany but is yet to decide on next season as his Manchester City contract expires.
Gundogan, 32, has just days remaining on his current deal at the Etihad and has interest from a number of clubs looking to sign him on a free transfer. That includes Barcelona and Arsenal and also former club Dortmund, although the City midfielder ruled out a move to Germany when he spoke to reporters on international duty.
"There was contact between [Dortmund sporting director] Sebastian Kehl and my agent. I can say that," he said. "But it was not very likely. To return in the Bundesliga was not my plan.“
The plan looked like being Barcelona, and a transfer to "a beautiful city" as the player called it on Monday remains a serious option as he weighs up offers. However, a late effort from City to keep the player that features an improved length of contract has been tempting and there is a sense within the club that they can enjoy more success after claiming their first Champions League to clinch a Treble.
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Guardiola spoke on Monday about his awareness of Barcelona's interest in signing Gundogan but is still hoping City have done enough to keep him after he told his bosses in no uncertain terms to do everything they could to keep him. Asked about those comments, Gundogan said it was "not necessary for [Guardiola] to praise me like that, we have known each other for seven years, there’s a lot of mutual respect between us, we are very open and honest with each other."
On his future, he added: "No decision yet, talks (are) ongoing. You’ll be the first to know once a decision has been made."
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