Why Losing Ilkay Gundogan Wouldn't Be Worst-Case Scenario for Borussia Dortmund

This weekend's football saw Borussia Dortmund plunge once again into alarm when a 3-1 defeat at the hands of an impressive Borussia Monchengladbach left Jurgen Klopp's side just six points above the third and final relegation spot.

The Black and Yellows have tumbled up and down the form table over the course of this season, yet following the defeat to the Foals, fans were left with yet another clear conclusion: This just isn't the team that once marched to the very top of the Bundesliga table and won championships.

At the heart of this side is a man who can at times come to characterise the troubles that Dortmund go through on an almost weekly basis.

Crocked for the past year and now back to full fitness, he still stumbles through games stuck in a mood preventing him from performing like the lion heart he once was.

We are of course talking about Ilkay Gundogan, Dortmund's central midfield general and a man who really should be doing much better than he is right now.

What makes the German international all the more frustrating for Dortmund fans at the moment is the continued presence of rumours and speculation linking him away from the club, due to his reported desire to keep his options open this summer.

The British press have quite rightfully picked up on this, with MailOnline's John Edwards stating that Gundogan and Mats Hummels would be heading to Old Trafford next season for a cool £50 million heading in the opposite direction.

"Dortmund bosses are resigned to Gundogan following Hummels out of the door after the midfield anchorman flatly refused to renew a £100,000-a-week contract that runs out next year and evidently made little secret of his wish to join United," Edwards wrote.

That will undoubtedly leave Dortmund fans with little surprise or anguish.

It only then leads to suggest a question that has been hanging around the team for the duration of this season: Do Dortmund even need Gundogan?

The 24-year-old is certainly an exceptional talent—arguably the best at Dortmund after Marco Reus has been removed from the shortlist—but if the club can recoup something like £15 million for a midfielder who spent the past 18 months on the injury table, then that would go down as good business regardless of the situation.

Dortmund are a club that enjoy strong revenue and rarely go wanting in the transfer market, but £15 million could make all the difference between another host of maybe men—Adrian Ramos, Ciro Immobile, Milos Jojic—and some clear quality players who have already proven themselves at the club's level.

There is, of course, another aspect to selling Gundogan this summer: Replacements may already be at the club.

Dortmund currently boast four key central midfielders in Sven Bender, Sebastian Kehl, Nuri Sahin and Gundogan, but should the club choose to sell Gundogan, then they already have a regular replacement for him in Sahin.

Klopp will undoubtedly have to upgrade on Bender and Kehl—one hasn't quite looked himself this season and the other is months away from retirement—but in terms of an attack-minded central midfielder, there are few better than the Turkish international.

In fact, at the moment, when everyone is fit, Klopp tends to push Gundogan further up the field into a No. 10 role, which is already so populated with the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Shinji Kagawa and even Reus.

In either central midfield or at No. 10, Dortmund have fit and able players ready to take Gundogan's place.

Come next season, once everyone is back, fit and ready, Dortmund could quite feasibly carry on with a starting XI that doesn't have or indeed need Gundogan's gloomy demeanour.

Should they truly seek a fresh beginning this summer, they could do much worse than cash in on a naive bid from a foolish English giant and simply carry on without one of their most troublesome players.

Follow Stefan on Twitter @Sbienkowski.