Ilkay Gundogan closing in on triggering automatic Manchester City contract extension | OneFootball

Manchester City are moving towards an automatic contract extension for Ilkay Gundogan owing to the number of appearances made by the German this season.

The Treble-winning captain of the Etihad Stadium club made an emotional return to Manchester City during the last summer transfer window just one year on from leaving Pep Guardiola’s side on a free transfer.

Gundogan’s Manchester City contract reached its natural expiry days after the club had won their first-ever UEFA Champions League honour via a final win over Inter Milan in Istanbul, joining FC Barcelona on a free agreement during the 2023 summer market.

However, financial problems at the La Liga giants meant that Gundogan was identified as a player surplus to requirements for the now-ongoing 2024/25 campaign, and Manchester City moved with little hesitation to bring the player back to the club for free.

The veteran midfielder, who has retired from international football with Germany, penned an initial one-year agreement upon returning to the reigning Premier League champions, although that could be on the verge of extending by a further 12 months.

When Ilkay Gundogan signed for City, all parties agreed that a further one-year contract extension could be triggered either by the club themselves, or automatically if the midfielder played a ‘certain number’ of games during the campaign.

Given the fact that Gundogan is currently the second-highest appearance maker for Manchester City just after the midway point of the campaign, there is a strong chance that either the clause has been triggered, or is on the verge of being triggered.

Many believe that the 34-year-old could be one of the players offered the opportunity to depart Pep Guardiola’s side during the summer transfer window as club officials look to continue an overhaul and rebuild started in January.

As many as eight first-team stars could leave Manchester City amid a hugely challenging campaign that has not only seen the club exit the Premier League title race and Carabao Cup, but also fail to reach the Champions League’s last-16 stage for the first time since 2012.