İlkay Gündoğan linked with Borussia Dortmund return | OneFootball

Borussia Dortmund are keeping tabs on İlkay Gündoğan’s Manchester City contract situation and could offer the midfielder a romantic return to the Westfalenstadion.

That’s according to The Sun, who report that Gündoğan’s current deal at the Etihad Stadium expires in June 2020 and though initial talks have been held about an extension, the German international is tempted by a return to the Bundesliga.

The 28-year-old spent five years at Dortmund before joining City for €27m in the summer of 2016.

His Premier League career got off to an impressive start but an anterior cruciate ligament injury meant he was limited to just 16 appearances in his first season at the club.

He bounced back to help Pep Guardiola’s side win the Premier League title last year but now finds himself being used in rotation with City’s other midfielders, although he has already played 30 games this season, scoring four goals.

The Sun quote an “Etihad source” as saying: “Dortmund have had a look at getting him back. He still hasn’t fully made up his mind what he’s going to do.

“Talks have been slow to progress on his new contract. He is happy here but Dortmund have a history of bringing back old players.”

But a big stumbling block for the current Bundesliga leaders could be Gündoğan’s wage demands.

He reportedly currently earns in the region of €135,000-a-week and would likely have to take a pay cut wherever his career takes him next.