Manchester City: Three clubs are fighting for Gündogan

Status: 08:55 a.m | Reading time: 3 minutes

Dhe trophy for the English championship was presented to Ilkay Gündogan (32) as captain of Manchester City on May 21st. Last Saturday, after two goals against Manchester United (2-1) from the hands of Prince William (40), the FA Cup followed in front of 83,179 fans at Wembley Stadium. The next coronation is on Saturday – then the German national player, who is in absolute world-class form, wants to lift the pot in the air after the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul.

If the last triple step works, the path to the new contract is only a matter of time. The starting position: Star coach Pep Guardiola (52) definitely wants to keep his captain, he already said: “Gündo can do everything.” The problem: City boss Ferran Soriano (55) has so far refused, Gündogan the desired extension of the expiring contract two years to complete. Players of that age only get one-year contracts at City – unlike Guardiola, Soriano wants to stick to it.

Consequence: Gündogan deals with other offers. There is a three-way battle for his commitment. In addition to City, FC Arsenal and FC Barcelona are in the running – in contrast to Borussia Dortmund.

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Coach Mikel Arteta, who used to be Guardiola’s assistant, speaks for the Gunners and enthuses: “Ilkay’s greatest ability is to make his team-mates better. There is no one who can do it like him.” Barça could probably pay him despite various squad requirements from the Spanish association – also because Gündogan is a free transfer.

City insider Jan Aage Fjørtoft (56) says: “I hope Ilkay stays with City. He has this quiet authority, is the calming influence in the team. This is exactly what the younger generation needs in the dressing room. He is extremely important as a balance player, his eight league goals are sensational.”

Haaland is about two titles

In the Champions League final, two other city stars are more than just about the cup. For Guardiola, it’s about his reputation. The Catalan won the premier class with Barça in 2009 and 2011, since then he has failed with both Bayern and City – although the club has spent over 1.2 billion euros on new players since taking office. What speaks for the triple now: Unlike in the past, Pep has not tried to conjure up anything with unusual lineups. Fjørtoft: “Since this season, Pep has put much more emphasis on building a functioning team and less on the quality of the individual stars.”

For Erling Haaland (22), the final is even about two titles – the Cup and the Ballon d’Or. If the Norwegian continues his goal flood of 52 goals in 52 competitive games, his chances of becoming world footballer increase. It is already clear that the decision in the fall will be between him and Argentina world champion Lionel Messi (35), who could win the award for the eighth time. Family friend Fjørtoft: “I think Erling will only be second at the Ballon d’Or. Messi is the favorite to be world champion and you also know that the award has a lot to do with politics. I think Messi has the best chance.”

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Farewell tears in Milan

The text was written for the sports competence center (WELT, “Sport Bild”, “Bild”) and first published in “Sport Bild”.