Manchester City have released four players at the end of the 2022/23 season including club captain Ilkay Gundogan.
Gundogan has been included on the list of released players submitted to the Premier League despite ongoing talks over a new deal because his current contract expires this month. With no decision reached by this point, the 32-year-old has to appear on the released list even if there is still a chance he could stay.
City made a belated push to keep Gundogan as he hit top form in April and May, and the German midfielder is weighing up his future while on international duty with Germany this week. Barcelona and Arsenal are interested in signing him on a free transfer, although the chances of him staying at the Etihad have risen since a longer deal was offered.
Benjamin Mendy is another high-profile player on the list to be released. The French defender signed for £52m in 2017 but injuries wiped out years of his career and City never saw his best form before he was suspended by the club in 2020 following a police charge for multiple counts of rape and sexual assault; Mendy was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one of sexual assault in 2021, but with a retrial on two charges where no decision was reached - one rape and one attempted rape - taking place this summer Mendy never returned to City.
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Rowan McDonald, an academy youngster who was given a new deal last year while he worked his way back to fitness after two years of injury problems, has also been released, as well as 20-year-old midfielder Terell Agyemang.
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