World-class player to choose Barcelona over Arsenal

Ilkay Gundogan
Photo: Getty images

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is attracting interest from both Barcelona and Arsenal.

The 32-year-old German will decide on his future after the Champions League final.

Gundogan’s contract at the Etihad is up at the end of the season, and he’s yet to say where he’d be playing next season.

According to Sport, Barcelona is the preferred destination for Gundogan, as he is looking to reside in Spain.

Gundogan has been in good form for City as they chase down a historic treble this season.

According to The Mirror, Man City are still hopeful of convincing the German to stay, while Arsenal will want to use Mikel Arteta’s influence to convince him about the project at Arsenal.

Arteta worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City for some years. The report further states that Arteta and Gundogan are set to have a private meeting where the Arsenal boss will try to sell his ambitions to the world-class midfielder.

Speaking recently, Pep Guardiola hoped that Gundogan would end up staying at the Etihad.

“Maybe at the end he stays here. Hopefully…” he said. “Nobody knows what’s gonna happen.”