Rumours: Ilkay Gundogan to Manchester City edges closer

Will we see him in the EPL next season?

German midfielder Ilkay Gündogan is set for a move to Manchester City in the summer according to numerous reports. The club’s chief Txiki Begiristain has been reported to have met with Ilhan Gündogan who is the agent of the Dortmund man.

City are pushing hard to make the central midfielder Pep Guardiola’s first signing. The Spaniard is set to take over from Manuel Pellegrini on the 1st of July and will look to strengthen his squad and get in the players that will fit into his system.

Gündogan might just be the perfect holding player for City with their current squad slowly aging. The 25-year-old is set to be valued at around €30 million which shouldn't be a problem for a club with City’s resources.

The German international joined Borussia Dortmund in 2011 from Nurnberg and won the Bundesliga title in his very first season when Jurgen Klopp was their manager. He has made 100 league appearances for the club scoring 10 league goals.

Begiristain has been photographed meeting with Gudogan’s agent at Amsterdam’s Conservatorium Hotel. The conservation had apparently lasted 45 minutes according to German newspaper Bild

The meeting took place on the same day Guardiola had met with the City director. Dortmund are said to be in contract talks with their midfielder but no breakthrough has been made so far.

When Thomas Tuchel was asked about his player's situation  he said, "I’m not disappointed and I’m not convinced".

The manager does not want this to become a big thing in the media saying, “I do not understand the excitement about all of this. We are all looking forward to next season, we are planning and we speak to advisers; it’s part of the everyday job we do.”

But the Dortmund head coach is unsure about the midfielder’s future saying, ”Am I convinced that he will stay? I don’t really know. I know what we can offer him and if that’s enough for him to stay then so be it.”

But the coach hopes that that Gündogan can see the benefits of remaining at Dortmund saying,“He knows why he is here, what he’s doing, what is his position, and how he can develop even further and progress with Dortmund”.

Bayern still in control of Bundesliga crown

The Bundesliga looked like it would once again see Bayern Munich become runaway winners but a loss against Mainz gave Dortmund an opening. The two clubs met on Saturday last week but the result was 0-0 draw. 

Dortmund could have closed the gap to two points if they had managed to overcome their rivals but as it stands Bayern still have a relatively healthy lead although not an impossible one to hunt down with 9 matches to play.