UEFA Champions League-winning midfielder to decide future soon amid Barcelona links

Manchester City and Ilkay Gundogan finally ended their wait for a UEFA Champions League title this past weekend. A cagey 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the final was enough to hand the Premier League champions their first UCL title which also happened to be the first for the German midfielder.

As the captain of City, Gundogan was the man to get his hands on the trophy first. The scintillating final marked the end of a long season for the veteran, and he now has decisions to make.

According to reports from Fabrizio Romano, the midfield star will choose his next destination soon. He has no shortage of options on his table, but two stand out from the pack.

Barcelona, who are said to be in pole position, offer him a three-year deal that will run until he is 35. His current employers, Manchester City, only offer him one year albeit with the option to add another twelve months.

It will thus be a battle between Pep Guardiola’s former and current clubs as Gundogan sits to evaluate his options. Several Saudi Arabian clubs and Arsenal are also interested in his profile but currently sit down the pecking order.

To leave Manchester City having led them to their first UCL trophy would be the ideal manner to end his time at the Etihad and begin a new venture. Yet, there is a concurrent school of thought that suggests that he stay on the Europe-conquering side and play with the hard-earned tag.

The coming week will be critical for Barcelona to secure Gundogan’s signature. After all, the pressure from Saudi Arabia is increasing and they could get a firm foot into the race if the process is delayed.

In 31 games for the Premier League club last season, the veteran scored eight goals and provided four assists. He also created six big chances with an average of 1.3 key passes per game.

A decision is expected to be made soon, ideally by this week, and it remains to be seen if Gundogan stays with Manchester City or jumps ship to Barcelona.