Ilkay Gundogan 'Very Happy' at Manchester City; Won't Rush to Sign New Contract

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan says he is "very happy" at the club but is in no rush to sign a new deal.

The German will have just one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad Stadium come the end of the season, and manager Pep Guardiola raised some concerns over the midfielder's future in a press conference on Friday, per Goal's Sam Lee:

Lee spoke to Gundogan after Saturday's 1-0 win over Bournemouth, and the player was asked whether Guardiola's comments indicated he was unhappy at City:

"No, that's not a sign at all. I'm very happy here, I just think that these kind of things, especially as I'm not the youngest any more, just need sometimes a little bit of time, you know? The club doesn't rush me, I don't rush myself, so I have still more than one year to go so I try to see it relaxed and then we will see."

Pressed on whether he wants to remain at the club, he added: "I think in terms of playing football, in terms of enjoying the game, at the moment in Europe there is not really a better place than here."

Lee further shared an exchange with Gundogan via Twitter:

The 28-year-old's outing on Saturday was his 100th appearance for the Sky Blues.

He arrived from Borussia Dortmund in 2016 but was limited to just 16 matches in his first season in England by a cruciate ligament injury.

He has since established himself as a regular for Guardiola, either as an alternative to Kevin De Bruyne or David Silva or in a deeper role, similar to Fernandinho's.

Gundogan is a composed presence in midfield, and his strong technical ability and superb distribution allow him to seamlessly slot into Guardiola's plans.

He's a valuable asset to City, and losing him—particularly on a free transfer—would be far from ideal.