Pep Guardiola confirms desire to keep Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is hopeful that club captain Ilkay Gundogan will stay with the Premier League champions beyond the end of his current contract.

Gundogan's future is currently the subject of much speculation, as his deal with the Citizens is due to expire at the end of June.

Barcelona are believed to be working on a possible deal for the 32-year-old, who scored twice in Man City's 2-1 victory over Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

However, Guardiola has said that he wants to continue 'working with' the experienced midfielder beyond the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

"I said about the contract, the club is involved and knows my opinion. They are above me, we take the decision together, good and bad," Guardiola told reporters following the success over Sam Allardyce's side.

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"It's not necessary if he scored two incredible goals, how good he played today, reading the spaces, he has everything – incredible run in the final third, how intelligent he is.

"It's not necessary to score two goals to know exactly how I like this player and enjoying working with him and how I'd like to work with him in the future."

Gundogan has again been a vital player for Man City during the 2022-23 campaign, featuring on 45 occasions in all competitions, scoring seven goals and registering five assists in the process.

The midfielder has scored six goals and provided four assists in 29 Premier League appearances, while he has contributed one goal and one assist in 10 Champions League outings.

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Gundogan made the move to the Etihad Stadium from Borussia Dortmund in 2016, and he has represented the Citizens on 298 occasions, scoring 56 goals and registering 38 assists in the process.

The midfielder is believed to be looking for a fresh challenge at this stage of his career and could potentially look to see how Man City end the season before making a final decision.

Guardiola's side are bidding to win a treble, preparing to face Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League, and Manchester United in the final of the FA Cup.

Saturday's win over Leeds saw the Citizens open up a four-point lead over second-placed Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table, meanwhile, with the team now in pole position to retain the title.