Arsenal are reportedly alongside Barcelona as potential transfer suitors for Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan as he nears the end of his contract at the Etihad Stadium.
The Germany international has been in outstanding form for Man City again this season, but it’s not yet clear what the future holds for him, with Arsenal possibly set to raid their title rivals again.
The Gunners signed both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from City last summer, with both signings proving a success, and so it’s perhaps not too surprising to see Sport Bild claiming that Mikel Arteta could try a similar move again with Gundogan.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano yesterday, Granit Xhaka looks set to leave Arsenal this summer, so Gundogan could be an ideal replacement in midfield.
See below for Romano’s tweet on Xhaka, with the Switzerland international now in advanced talks over joining Bayer Leverkusen…
Granit Xhaka, set to leave Arsenal at the end of the season. No negotiations over new deal and plan to part ways in June. ???? #AFC
Bayer Leverkusen are in advanced talks to sign him — €15m fee.
Understand personal terms are almost agreed over four year deal — June 2027. pic.twitter.com/0MlyJwNwhm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 16, 2023
Arsenal, however, also surely need to focus on younger players in that area of the pitch, with Gundogan turning 33 later this year.
While there’s no doubt Gundogan is in superb form at the moment and could make a big impact at Arsenal, there is also surely the need to bring in slightly younger players in midfield, where the likes of Thomas Partey and Jorginho are already both past their peak years.
The Times have linked AFC with both Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, who are 24 and 21, respectively, and that seems more the kind of profile Arteta needs for next season.
Of course, as the Times note, those deals could be very expensive, so there might be some sense in at least considering snapping up Gundogan on a free transfer as well.