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Arsenal have been backed to sign Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan by their head of academy Per Mertesacker.
The Gunners are looking for a new midfielder this summer and have been touted to pursue Gundogan. The German is set to become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of this month.
Gundogan is also garnering interest from Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund as some of Europe's top clubs look to make the most of his availability. His former German teammate Mertesacker has hinted that Arsenal are in an excellent position to sign the midfielder. He told German broadcaster ZDF (via TalkSPORT):
"Okay, mission accomplished. I think the clubs are queuing."
Mertesacker was working as a pundit for ZDF and watched on as Gundogan captained Manchester City to Champions League glory. His side beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the European final on Saturday (June 10).
Gundogan also played under Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta when the Spaniard was an assistant to Pep Guardiola at the Etihad. Mertesacker has alluded to the relationship he holds with Manchester City's former assistant coach:
“Because [Mikel] Arteta knows him and we probably haven’t broken off contact, we’re in a good position. I think he’ll let it all sink in first and then choose from one of the four clubs.”
Gundogan has been in scintillating form this season. The 32-year-old scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 51 games across competitions. The German was key as Guardiola's men won the Champions League, the Premier League, and FA Cup.
Arsenal have recently enjoyed acquiring talent from this season's title rivals. They lured Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the Emirates last summer and could be set to target Gundogan this time around.
Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko congratulates Manchester City on winning the Champions League
Arsenal defender Zinchenko congratulated Manchester City after the Cityzens became the champions of Europe. The Ukrainian reposted a picture of the feat on his Instagram story and simply responded by adding clapping emoticons.
Zinchenko left Guardiola's side last summer for the Gunners in a £32 million deal. He failed to win Europe's elite club competition during his six years in Manchester and has gone trophyless in his debut campaign at the Emirates.
The left-back did enjoy an impressive season for Arteta's side, featuring 33 times, providing four goal contributions. However, he will be a little frustrated to have watched his former club win a treble just a year removed from his departure.
