Ilkay Gundogan is in a 'preferential position' regarding his future at Manchester City.
City club captain Gundogan is entering the final months of his contract, with his current deal set to expire in June 2023. In recent weeks there have been reports in Germany that City want to tie the midfielder down to a new deal, but as of yet there has been no real movement from either party.
Friday's Mundo Deportivo newspaper claimed that Gundogan is in a 'preferential place' at the moment and if there is 'no radical turn of events' then he will leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer.
READ MORE: Julian Alvarez is using World Cup to give Pep Guardiola fresh Man City dilemma
The report also claims that Barcelona are keeping a keen eye on the 32-year-old's situation, with manager Xavi Hernandez a known admirer of the midfielder. Xavi is thought to want to bring Gundogan in order to ease the transition of the ageing Sergio Busquets out of the team.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola's former City assistant Juanma Lillo has suggested who his former boss should look at signing.
In a guest article for The Athletic, Lillo gave an alternative take on the World Cup, downplaying the importance of coaches in football and bemoaning the way lots of teams play in a similar way.
The Spanish coach then turned his attention to players who haven't caught the headlines in Qatar, but who he believes are destined for greatness. One of those is 19-year-old Portuguese centre-back Antonio Silva, who has made one appearance at the tournament.
City's Premier League rivals Liverpool have been linked with the Benfica defender in recent months, and Lillo can see why.
"And then Portugal… the young centre-back from Benfica, Antonio Silva, is not even playing. Do you know how good this kid is? Incredible. He’s absurd," Lillo said.
City already have five senior centre-backs on their books, but it's no secret how much Guardiola trusts the coach who helped form his tactical philosophy. Perhaps he will turn to him for inspiration once more.
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