Guardiola identifies Real Madrid star to strengthen midfield after Ilkay Gundogan moves closer to Manchester City exit: Reports 

Manchester City have reportedly identified Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos as a potential replacement for IIkay Gundogan, who is being tipped to leave the club this summer.

The German midfielder's contract at the Etihad Stadium is expected to expire at the end of the ongoing 2022-23 football campaign.

Gundogan, who is currently in his seventh season at Manchester City, is attracting strong transfer interest from a couple of clubs, including Spanish giants Barcelona.

Meanwhile, City are reportedly braced for a possible exit from the 32-year-old midfielder and have now turned to Barca's rivals Real Madrid to sign his replacement.

Los Blancos star Ceballos is being linked with the Cityzens as the player is being admired by head coach Pep Guardiola.

Like Gundogan, Ceballos is also in the final months of his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu and is likely to leave on a free transfer should he fail to sign a contract extension.

The Spanish midfielder has struggled to nail down a starting position in Carlo Ancelotti's first team this season and is currently behind a host of midfielders at the club. Ceballos has so far played just 1320 minutes of football for Real Madrid across all competitions this season.

City, on the other hand, could possibly make do with Ceballos signing on a free transfer should Gundogan fail to renew his contract before it expires.

The 26-year-old Los Blancos footballer also possesses Premier League experience, having been on loan at Arsenal between 2019-2021.

It's left to be seen as to whether Manchester City will eventually succeed in their attempt to land Ceballos from Real Madrid this summer.

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Pep Guardiola speaks on the future of both IIkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva at Manchester City

The City head coach recently revealed that he has no assurances about both Bernardo Silva and Gundogan staying at the club beyond the ongoing 2022-23 football campaign.

Both players are currently being linked with a possible exit from the club this summer. Gundogan is in the final months of his contract at Manchester City, while Silva has previously stressed his desire to seek a new challenge.

Speaking in an interview via the Manchester Evening News, he said:

"First, I don't know what is going to happen [with Bernardo or Gundogan] so the club take the lead and decide everythin

He continued:

"But the words I had, that I gave to you right now over Bernardo, they can actually be the same with Ilkay. The same for many, many years. He is even my neighbour so what can I say."

Manchester City will next be seen in action when they square off against Bayern Munich in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash. They currently lead 3-0, having won the first leg at home.