Ilkay Gündogan was the first signing made after the appointment of Pep Guardiola as the manager, and the Catalan has no intention of letting the German leave, according to .
This stance has been prompted by recent reports by various outlets claiming Gündogan is a target for Guardiola s former club . The La Liga title holders have lost their long-serving midfielder and captain Andres Iniesta, and despite spending the vast sum of €160million to bring Philippe Coutinho in from Liverpool in January, they see Gündogan as a potential replacement for Iniesta. They are reportedly willing to pay over £50million for his services.
However, Guardiola is keen on giving Gündogan a more prominent role in the City team next season and is currently devising a way to include him into the starting XI alongside David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. After last summer saw a significant number of transfers at the Etihad, the club are expecting a much quieter window this time around, with director of football Txiki Begiristain currently working on wrapping up deals for Napoli s Jorginho and Leicester s Riyad Mahrez.
