Manchester City ready to spend €65 million on ‘ideal man’ to replace Ilkay Gundogan this summer | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are reportedly ready to invest heavily on their ‘ideal man’ to replace Ilkay Gundogan at the heart of their midfield this summer.

The latest development comes just days after Pep Guardiola confirmed to the media that Ilkay Gundogan had seen a 12-month extension triggered in his initial one-year Manchester City contract signed last summer as part of his free move from FC Barcelona.

There has been plenty of criticism surrounding Gundogan’s performances throughout the campaign, although his manager still believes that the player of the club’s iconic Treble-winning and domestic Quadruple campaigns is there and ready to step up.

Nevertheless, Manchester City are putting plans into place to ensure that their future beyond Gundogan – whenever that time may come – is assured with targets lined up to intensify when required.

And the latest name to be connected with significant interest from the Etihad Stadium has emerged in media reports this week, at a time when central midfield appears to be the main area of focus for Hugo Viana and Txiki Begiristain.

That is according to the information of Sky Sports’ Sacha Tavolieri, who reports that AC Milan and Netherlands international midfielder Tijjani Reijnders is now being considered as the ‘ideal man’ to replace Ilkay Gündogan by Manchester City this summer.

It is explained that despite recently signing a contract extension at the San Siro until summer 2029, ‘several sources’ have stated that the player would find any approach from Manchester City ‘absolutely irresistible’ given his aspirations within the game.

However, AC Milan would be demanding a significant fee for one of their star midfielders, with the report stipulating a valuation set at €65 million excluding bonuses – of which Manchester City are ‘ready to spend’ on the player.

Should Reijnders join Manchester City this summer, he would be unlikely to be the only arrival in the centre of the park within Pep Guardiola’s side, with a direct replacement for Kevin De Bruyne also being worked on by club bosses.

The Belgian playmaker announced earlier this month that he would not be seeing his contract extended by the club and as such would be moving on to a new opportunity elsewhere within the game on a free transfer.

The earliest indications are that a Major League Soccer switch is most likely with Inter Miami leading the chase, however De Bruyne himself recently admitted that he would be open to all offers, including those from the very top of European football and in the Premier League.