Per Mertesacker, former Arsenal captain and current head of the club’s academy, believes that Arsenal are in a ‘good position’ to sign Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City this summer. Gundogan, 32, has played an integral role in City’s historic season as they completed the treble on Saturday evening with a 1-0 win over Inter in the Champions League final. Gundogan has attracted interest from several clubs including Arsenal, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund, while City are also keen to keep him with manager Pep Guardiola making it clear he wants his captain to stay.
Mertesacker, speaking as a pundit for German broadcaster ZDF after the Champions League final, said he felt City’s treble win could convince Gundogan ‘to say, okay, mission accomplished’. He added: ‘I think the clubs are queuing. Because [Mikel] Arteta knows him and we probably haven’t broken off contact, we’re in a good position. I think he’ll let it all sink in first and then choose from one of the four clubs.’
Gundogan himself claimed after City’s win in the Champions League final that his future is still up in the air, saying: ‘I have not made a final decision on my future yet.’