Arsenal are said to have entered ‘serious’ discussions with Borussia Dortmund regarding their midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, according to German publication SportBild (via Bild reporter Heiko Ostendorp).
Es wird ernst: Gündogan verhandelt mit #Arsenal, #manutd bietet 30 Mio. für Hummels! Heute in @SPORTBILD #bvb pic.twitter.com/9Hyvsx7pQj
— Heiko Ostendorp (@Ozzywessi) April 22, 2015
That translates to ‘It is serious: Gundogan negotiating with #Arsenal, #manutd offers 30 million for Hummels! Today in @SPORTBILD #bvb’, just in case anyone got their hopes up we were included in the Hummels pursuit.
Bild are known to be a reliable outlet and were one of the first to break the news that manager Jurgen Klopp was set to step down. In fact, it was those reports which hastened Dortmund’s announcement as they called an unexpected press conference.
Inevitably, the imminent departure of Klopp has led to talk of a mass exodus at the Westfalenstadion, but in the case of Gundogan, his situation is slightly more delicate.
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The midfielder’s contract ends in 2016 and with no sign of an extension, Dortmund could be forced to sell due to fear of losing him on a free transfer. Failure to qualify for the Champions League has compounded the club’s already fragile financial structure and revenue through player sales seems the only realistic possibility of covering the lack of funds from Europe’s premier competition.
Gundogan returned earlier on this season from a serious back injury which ruled him out for more than 12 months but at the age 24, he’s yet to reach his peak.
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