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Ilkay Gundogan has been a consistent performer for Manchester City since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2016. He has played 304 games in all competitions for the Cityzens so far, registering 60 goals and 40 assists.
The Germany international helped the Manchester outfit win five Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League trophy among other honours. He was part of the '2020-21 Premier League Team of the Season' and also won the 'Premier League Player of the Month' twice.
Ilkay Gundogan's existing contract at the Etihad Stadium is set to expire at the end of this month. He has not decided about his future yet and could leave the European Champions as a free agent.
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On that note, here's a list of three potential replacements for Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City.
#1 Mateo Kovacic
Mateo Kovacic has enjoyed a mixed spell at Chelsea since joining from Real Madrid in 2018. He has made 221 appearances across all competitions for the Blues so far, scoring six goals and providing 15 assists.
The Croatia international is a highly technical midfielder who is known for his passing and dribbling skills, along with his ability to break the opposition's defence with his through balls. Kovacic won the 'Chelsea Player of the Season' accolade in 2020.
According to a report by Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City have recently agreed personal terms with the former Real Madrid midfielder. They will discuss the transfer fee with Chelsea to sign him in the coming days.
#2 Joshua Kimmich
Regarded as a world-class midfielder, Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich could be the perfect Ilkay Gundogan replacement at Manchester City.
The Germany international is a tenacious midfielder whose key strengths are his tackling and passing skills, along with his reading of the game. He is also versatile and is capable of playing in various positions across midfield and defence.
Kimmich has featured in 347 games for the Bavarians thus far, registering 40 goals and 94 assists. The former RB Leipzig man won the 'UEFA Champions League Defender of the Season accolade in the 2019-20 season.' He was also included in the 'Bundesliga Team of the Season' on five different occasions.
talkSPORT has reported last month that Pep Gaurdiola is considering signing Joshua Kimmich to replace Gundogan. He is willing to offer Joao Cancelo to the Bavarians in exchange of the midfielder.
#3 Gabri Veiga
Gabri Veiga has enjoyed a breakthrough 2022-23 season with Celta Viga. The young Spainard played 36 La Liga games last term, scoring 11 goals and assisting four more. He also won the 'La Liga Player of the Month' accolade in February 2022.
Veiga is known for his long shots, dribbling skills and ability to play incisive through balls. According to WhoScored, the 21-year old midfielder has averaged 1.7 shots, 0.8 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per 90 in the season gone by. Apart from that, he has also completed 76.9 percent of his passes in LaLiga.
According to the Mirror, Manchester City are ready to compete with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United for the midfielder. He has a release clause of €40 million in his contract as per Fabrizio Romano. Veiga could be a long-term replacement for Ilkay Gundogan at Manchester City.
