Should Borussia Dortmund's Ilkay Gundogan Entertain Manchester United?
Notwithstanding last season's sub-standard proceedings, Borussia Dortmund have largely become victims of their own success.
Jurgen Klopp's winning mentality permeated through the Westfalenstadion—seeing players like Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, Shinji Kagawa, Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski become highly coveted commodities across Europe.
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Some have left, some have left and returned, while others have stayed the course. As Klopp seeks his next adventure outside of North Rhine-Westphalia, losing the driving force of such an affluent footballing culture creates a vacuum of sorts.
One such footballer caught in the fallout has been Ilkay Gundogan. Reports about the central midfielder are conflicting. This could be coincidence or possibly represent a greater symptom that BVB having little foresight into the German international's future.
ESPN FC's Stephan Uersfeld noted 30 April (citing the club's official Facebook page) Gundogan's current deal, which ends 30 June 2016, was not going to be extended and the 24-year-old would leave "no later" than the contract's limit.
Almost three weeks later, though, ESPN FC's Jens Weber reported the two parties were "considering penning a one-year extension" into 2016/17. Little has materialised since and BVB's silence could be viewed as an invitation.
Clubs across Europe—in customary fashion with contemporary Dortmund—are swirling around the Westfalenstadion like wind, seemingly thinking Gundogan is available this summer. Not knowing whether the midfielder will re-sign, new manager Thomas Tuchel (should he fail to impress) may advise his club to get compensation, rather than run the risk of Gundogan leaving for free.
David Wright of the Daily Express suggests a deal worth £21.5 million is in place with Manchester United for the midfielder, and it might be announced as soon as 4 July.
These reports could easily be summer-transfer-window silliness, and they should be taken with a grain of salt. However, they appear justified, as a like-for-like target—Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin—seems similarly poised for an Old Trafford move, as noted by Sky Sports.
If indeed Louis van Gaal is interested in a central midfielder to bolster his ranks, Gundogan should definitely entertain the notion of joining Manchester United this summer.
With Klopp's project now compete and Tuchel's beginning, the 24-year-old—who missed all but one game in the 2013/14 season through injury—should not gamble with the remainder of his career.
After a season to reassess the rotting carcass David Moyes left behind, Van Gaal must think an all-purpose central midfielder, with defensive and technical ability, is a key area for improvement.
Both Southampton and Borussia Dortmund are good organisations, both possessing reputations for cultivating world-class talent, but it is either Schneiderlin or Gundogan for the (somewhat dormant) English superpower. Wayne Rooney was occasionally deployed as a central defensive midfielder last season, so United supporters should not mind either option in their squad, but this game of musical chairs will soon reach its climax.
Manchester United are a club on the rise, whereas BVB could return to prominence but more than a few things would have to expertly align in 2015/16. More importantly, Dortmund cannot offer the 24-year-old Champions League football, the Red Devils—according to England's record in the UCL play-offs—can provide the alluring spectacle of European nights at Old Trafford.
In a more perfect world, clubs like Borussia Dortmund keep their best players throughout the primes of their careers, but the business of football—i.e. money—makes ideal scenarios almost impossible.
Should Gundogan think about United? Yes.
Would United be a better career move? Yes.
But will the move transpire? Only the player and clubs can answer for certain.
The German midfielder has another decade of top-flight football and should simply give the club who created his star a decision on what he wants. A classy outfit, as BVB appear to be, would manoeuvre in the transfer market accordingly and a positive resolution could be reached.
A happy ending's only enemy is silence, hopefully Gundogan and Dortmund—in conjunction with Manchester United, etc.—can keep an open dialogue.
*Stats via WhoScored; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
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