Spanish outlet Sport suggests that Gundogan favors a move to Barcelona as he desires to reside in Spain, effectively extinguishing any hopes Manchester City may have had of retaining the talented midfielder. Gundogan has been in outstanding form for City this season as they pursue an unprecedented treble, featuring prominently in both legs of their Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, and scoring consecutive braces in the Premier League against Everton and Leeds United.
However, The Mirror claims that the recently crowned English champions remain hopeful of convincing Gundogan to stay. Meanwhile, Arsenal has also shown interest in the player, with manager Mikel Arteta having prior knowledge of Gundogan from his time as an assistant at Manchester City.
The report further reveals that Arteta and Gundogan are scheduled to have a private meeting, where the Arsenal boss will attempt to convey his ambitions to the 32-year-old, aiming to secure a significant transfer coup.
Following their signings of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City last season, Gundogan's arrival at Arsenal would bring further experience of winning titles, especially after his exceptional performance on the final day of the previous season, where his two goals against Aston Villa helped Manchester City secure the title.
Nonetheless, with La Liga champions Barcelona also in the mix, Arteta faces a challenging battle to persuade Gundogan to join Arsenal.
