With Ilkay Gundogan deciding not to sign a new contract at Manchester City, the midfielder is likely to draw attention from other clubs in the summer when he will have a year left on his current deal at the Etihad.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve covered claims from Italy that Inter Milan are interested in the 28-year-old, and Calciomercato takes a look at the situation.
It’s clear the Nerazzurri are looking to strengthen their midfield and the Germany international’s name stands out for CEO Giuseppe Marotta and director of football Piero Ausilio’s list.
The former Borussia Dortmund man is liked ‘very much’ at the San Siro, and the Serie A club have been closely studying him for months. Ausilio has also made a trip to England to watch the player in action against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League quarter-final.
However, Inter have two obstacles to complete Gundogan’s transfer – the financial aspect of the deal and competition from Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Juventus.
Inter needs to find an agreement with the English champions before bringing him to the club and Gundogan’s salary of €9m per year is deemed ‘expensive’ by them.
The other option available, as per the report, is to sign him on a free transfer in 2020, but it’s a risky one because there are too many variables.
For this reason, Marotta is working optimistically to see if there is any possibility of his side finding a good financial deal to sign Gundogan in the summer.
Swapping Manchester City for Inter Milan, and a potential wage cut, doesn’t appear a hugely attractive option.
