Arsenal still in running for midfield ace.
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Premier League giants Arsenal are still in with a chance of landing German international midfielder Ilkay Gundogan after Borussia Dortmund ruled him out of a move to Real Madrid during the January transfer window, Sky Sports reports.
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Speculation has been rife recently that the 23-year-old is on his way to the Santiago Bernabeu as a replacement for Xabi Alonso as contract talks between the club and the Spanish international has screeched to a halt, and though there has been significant interest in Gundogan’s services he had been widely tipped to make the move to La Liga.
However, Dortmund have sought to clear up the gossip by insisting that the player is not en course for Spain after club executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said; “If we believe all those stories from Spain in terms of which player is to leave our club, we would have trouble picking a proper team.
“Neither Ilkay nor his father have yet told us anything about leaving.”
It will come as good news to Arsenal, who had been hoping to secure their own deal for him, though the player’s father, Irfan, hinted that when his son’s contract does expire in 2015 Dortmund will have the priority when it comes to negotiations.
“Borussia Dortmund will remain our first partner of conversation when it comes down to discussing the future of Ilkay,” he said.
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