Arsenal are plotting an ambitious attempt to sign Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan this summer with Mikel Arteta being the driving factor behind their pursuit. Arteta and Gundogan worked alongside each other during the Spaniard's time as Pep Guardiola's right-hand man at the Etihad Stadium.
The Arsenal boss is keen on signing the German to replace Granit Xhaka at the Emirates Stadium. The Swiss midfielder is close to joining Bayer Leverkusen with the two clubs in advanced talks over a £13million deal, football.london understands.
Gundogan's City contract expires at the end of this season and as a result a number of clubs are keeping tabs on the situation. Barcelona remain in the race to sign the 32-year-old this summer, whilst the Premier League champions are hopeful of convincing Gundogan to stay in Manchester.
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The Arsenal manager has previously waxed lyrical over the City skipper on a number of occasions. Speaking back in February 2021, Arteta heaped praise on Gundogan as he told reporters: "Well I think now he's playing a higher role in the team.
"He's always had the ability to arrive in the box and has great timing and great qualities to finish the actions. Before he played a deeper role and he had the license to do that.
"He's a tremendous player and he's doing really, really well this season," he added. Months later, before City faced Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Arteta was at it again, adding: "Maybe he [Gundogan] doesn't shine, but he allows others to shine."
Gundogan, who clearly respects Arteta, was happy to hear that from his former coach after telling L'Equipe: "I really like this quote, I often use it to describe my game. It's important to have a clear idea of how you can help your teammates or not.
"I have never been selfish and never will be. Often we focus too much on the players who finish the actions, not on those who initiated them, or those who lay the foundations of the game."
Meanwhile, Arsenal have also been linked with a move for Gundogan's team-mate Joao Cancelo. The Portuguese full-back does not seem to have a future at the Etihad Stadium after falling out with Pep Guardiola earlier this season, resulting in him being allowed to leave on loan to join Bayern Munich.
The Gunners are in the market for defensive reinforcements and could look to add the 28-year-old to Arteta's squad with an ambitious bid. Guardiola may be reluctant to sell players to Arsenal this summer after seeing the impact of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus at the Emirates Stadium - which helped the north Londoners challenge for the title.
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