FOOTBALL LONDON
Manchester City have announced their release list ahead of the new season and it’s of significance to Arsenal as Mikel Arteta looks to complete his first signing of the summer transfer window.
Among the four players being let go by the current Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League holders, captain Ilkay Gundogan is included in the list. This will be of interest to the north London outfit as they’ve been heavily linked with a move for the Germany international.
The Gunners are no strangers to luring players away from the Etihad Stadium having signed both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko last summer, but the difference is that the 32-year-old would not command a transfer fee due to his contract finishing at the end of the month.
Although as pointed out by our friends at the Manchester Evening News, it is not necessarily the case that the Gunners have moved a step closer to winning the race for Gundogan’s signature as the 32-year-old has to appear on the club’s released list even if there is still a chance he could stay as talks over a new deal are ongoing.
Furthermore, it’s understood that City have made a belated push to keep Gundogan, and the midfielder is weighing up his future while on international duty with Germany this week amid interest from Barcelona too and the chances of him staying at the Etihad Stadium have risen since a longer deal was offered.
