According to reports from German publications Bild and Kicker, summarised in English by The People’s Person, Barcelona and Bayern Munich have dropped out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
The Germany international is widely expected to leave Westflaen this summer, after the club revealed he’d turned down the opportunity to extend his contract past the end of next season – as This Is Futbol revealed in May – and Premier League duo Arsenal and Manchester United have often been linked with his signature.
Two weeks ago, the 24 year-old revealed he’s already held talks with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as reported by The Daily Mail, but according to the German press, they both view his €200k per-week wage demands as far too high and have resultantly ended their interest.
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That leaves the Gunners and the Red Devils in the race for the midfielder’s signature, but the smart money has to be on United following a gaffe from the club’s betting sponsors Bwin earlier this week. On Wednesday, they posted a Tweet welcoming Gundogan to Old Trafford, before quickly deleting it.
“Say hello to Ilkay #Gundogan! It sounds like he’ll be joining #ManUtd this summer – #MUFC,” read the tweet, as reported by Manchester Evening News.
It’s believed Dortmund intend to sell Gundogan for between £15million-£20million this summer.