Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has confirmed that the defending champions have triggered a one-year extension clause on veteran midfielder Ilkay Gundogan’s contract.
Gundogan rejoined Man City from Barcelona last summer on a one-year contract after initially leaving the Etihad Stadium on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract. His contract included an option to extend for an additional 12 months, contingent on his level of involvement this season.
So far, Gundogan has made 31 starts across all competitions, suggesting he has likely met the criteria for an automatic extension. Despite this, Guardiola has stopped short of confirming whether Gundogan will remain at the Etihad next season.
“He has one more year contract, definitely,” Guardiola explained. “What will happen [in the summer], I don’t know, but he has one more year contract now.
“The Gundo from Leicester, the Gundo from Bournemouth, the Gundo from today [vs Crystal Palace] is the Gundo I remember, when we won the Treble and Quadruple and an important player.
“So his activity, his pace, his defensive intelligence arrived. Gundo has been with us massively. And as a team we could not help him, because it’s not about ‘you, you, you’. Everyone was down, was below, because the team was not playing good.
“When the team plays good, the individuals rise. Without that, in modern football you cannot do it.”
Manchester City have performed way below par this season with the FA Cup their only hope of salvaging something from the season after an unsuccessful Premier League title defense. Guardiola has been tipped to embark on a major squad rebuild ahead of next season. Whether Gundogan will be part of that rebuild remains to be seen.
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