Opinion: Borussia Dortmund right to submit a contract offer for Ilkay Gündogan
According to reports, Borussia Dortmund have submitted a contract offer for Manchester City captain and Champions League winner Ilkay Gündogan.
In what has been an interesting turn of events, Borussia Dortmund have allegedly submitted a contract offer for Germany international Ilkay Gündogan shortly after the player lifted the Champions League trophy with Manchester City this past weekend. The former Dortmund player is said to be eyeing up a move to La Liga as well, with Barcelona interested in his services.
Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad have also allegedly made an offer to Gündogan, which will likely be the most financially lucrative deal on the table. Clubs from the Saudi Pro league have been flexing their financial might this transfer window, offering formidable financial packages to players like Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté.
While still seemingly outsiders in the race for his signature, Dortmund have absolutely made the right move to try and re-sign Gündogan if reports are to be believed. Gündogan ticks all the boxes for the type of player Dortmund would want in their midfield after the departure of Jude Bellingham. Despite his age he has been sensational for his club in middle of the park, playing a similar box to box role for Manchester City. He has an eye for goal and has the experience and mentality of a serial winner, having won everything possible with the Premier League club.
Gündogan would bring a level of experience that would be invaluable to Dortmund next season as they prepare to push Bayern Munich for the Meisterschale once again. While it’s of course impossible to replace a player like Jude Bellingham one to one, adding Gündogan to their ranks would make sure that there isn’t a drop in quality in the middle of the park. Couple this with the fact that he is very familiar with the club’s ethos, his transition would be seamless and the club could expect to have a midfielder ready to perform from the jump.
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Going into next season, Borussia Dortmund are in need of statement-making signings that show their intent to compete for silverware. Having been so close to winning the Bundesliga, the club need to build on this and bring in players that can help in those critical moments throughout the season where Die Schwarzgelben still seem to struggle (high pressure games). Doing everything possible to convince Gündogan to return to Dortmund would be a massive step in that direction.