Manchester City and Ilkay Gundogan still at distance over new contract

Ilkay Gundogan’s future at Manchester City is still up in the air as Barcelona and several other European sides monitor the situation with bated breath.

According to David Ornstein, the runaway Premier League leaders have yet to make a final decision on their captain’s contract due to a discrepancy between the parties over the length of a new deal.

During his seven-year spell at the Etihad Stadium, the 32-year-old has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and among the most influential figures in Manchester.

Pep Guardiola’s captain painted his 300th appearance for Man City with flying colours, bagging a breathtaking double and delivering an assist in a 3-0 humbling of Everton on Sunday.

Following his clutch performance against Leeds United last week, the German playmaker delivered another match-winning display at Goodison Park to get the Cityzens a step away from winning another Premier League title.

While Guardiola’s charges stormed through Goodison, Brighton & Hove Albion thrashed Arsenal later in the day to help Man City move four points clear at the summit with a game in hand.

Gundogan is looking to captain his side into another Champions League final as they meet Real Madrid in the return leg of their evenly-poised semi-final on Wednesday.

But despite the prospect of captaining his team to a ‘coveted treble‘, the former Borussia Dortmund star could leave England this summer as extension talks with Man City have hit a standstill.

Gundogan has a host of admirers in Europe, with newly-crowned La Liga champions Barcelona reportedly the front-runners to capture his signature should negotiations with the Cityzens fall flat.

However, if Man City had any doubts over their captain’s ability to perform at 32, his fine form at the tail-end of the season may have convinced them otherwise.

The German’s impressive showings in these high-octane moments could throw him a lifeline, especially if Guardiola’s dream of matching Manchester United’s treble goes according to plan.