Ilkay Gundogan has promised to help Manchester City win the Champions League after the club confirmed the signing of Borussia Dortmund midfielde on a four-year deal.
The 25-year-old Germany international has long been linked with a move to the the Premier League in recent years.
However, the former Nurnberg midfielder – who joined Dortmund back in 2011 when Jurgen Klopp was in charge of the club – opted to stay put for one more year last summer after signing a contract extension.
Despite that, Gundogan has now opted to move on and Manchester City confirmed the signing of the tenacious central midfielder this morning.
“I’m thrilled to have signed for Manchester City,” Gundogan told the club’s official website. “When I learned of City’s interest my heart was set on coming here and things have moved very quickly.
“I have loved my time with Borussia Dortmund and I would like to thank the club and the supporters for the five very happy years I spent there.
“They gave me a platform to play on and I became a better player because of the belief, patience and trust they showed in me.
“Now I have a new challenge and that is to achieve great things with City. The opportunity to work with a coach like Pep Guardiola is something I am really looking forward to and I am flattered to be the first signing the Club has made this summer.
“I can promise the City fans I will give everything to help us win titles both in England and the Champions League. These are exciting times.
“I have my best years ahead of me and I think we can achieve great things together. I can’t wait to begin this new chapter in my career.”
BBC Sport reports that the fee is in the region of £20 million, but what is perhaps more interesting is how the transfer was actually announced.
City’s Director of Football Txiki Begiristain added: “Ilkay is an excellent addition to our team and we are delighted to have him on board.
“He is an intelligent and versatile midfielder who can operate in a number of different roles. I think our supporters will enjoy his work ethic and technical ability and I believe he will be a very important player for us in the coming years.”
It remains to be seen when Gundogan will make his first appearance for Manchester City after recently dislocating his knee which forced him to miss this summer’s Euros, but his comments regarding a quicker recovery will be a big boost to the supporters.
Moments before Manchester City announced the deal, Gundogan tweeted ‘announce Gundogan’ which was accompanied with a winking emoji.
Manchester City then replied to the tweet confirming that they had approved it all and the midfielder is now officially a Citizen.
Gundogan is Pep Guardiola’s first signing as Manchester City manager and is surely not going to be the last ahead of what will certainly be a busy summer.
COMMENTS