- Player joined Citizens in summer of 2016 from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund
- Midfielder confirmed that he turned down Reds in favour of move to Manchester
- 27-year-old also reveals he rejected Barcelona as well as Jurgen Klopp’s side
- SEE MORE: Huge boost for Liverpool as superstar no longer nailed on to leave for Champions League giants
Man City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has confirmed that he opposed a move to Liverpool in favour of a move to Pep Guardiola’s side back in 2016.
This is according to the Sun, who are stating that the 27-year-old has stated that both the Reds and Barcelona were interested in him, and that he chose to move to Manchester due to Guardiola’s play style.
Speaking to Sport Arena Plus as re-reported by the Sun, the player stated that “I was very close to joining Barcelona, but in the end it didn’t work out. I am where I want to be and I am very happy. Klopp wanted me, but I decided to go with Guardiola, because his philosophy is closer to my style of play.”
Gundogan struggled somewhat during his first season at the Etihad due to injuries, however this season, the German has been in top form for the Premier League table toppers.
Since his £20M move from the Bundesliga outfit in 2016 (fee as per the BBC), the midfielder has managed to amass a total of nine goals and nine assists in 51 appearances for the Citizens.
Last season, the 27-year-old only managed to make a total of 10 appearances in the Premier League, scoring three and assisting one in that time period, something that was mainly down the injuries the player suffered during that campaign.
This year is going a lot better for the German international, with Gundogan having made 20 league appearances, scoring twice and assisting once to help City demolish everything in their path on their way to an almost certain third Premier League title.
Should Gundogan keep up this level of performances, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of impact the player can make for Germany at this summer’s World Cup in Russia.