Man Utd Lead London Rivals In Race For Bundesliga Star

With the January transfer now open for business, managers are working hard to strengthen their squads ahead of the second half of the season, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Arsenal and Chelsea will have to beat Man Utd to the signature of Ilkay Gundogan….

Manchester United lead Arsenal and Chelsea in the race for Ilkay Gundogan with Borussia Dortmund ready to cash-in on the German international midfielder, according to reports.

Gundogan missed almost the whole of last season due to a niggling back injury  and was forced to watch on from the stands as his German team-mates lifted the World Cup in Brazil this summer.

The 24-year-old is now back to full fitness but his return to action hasn’t been able to prevent Dortmund’s worrying domestic form, with Jurgan Klopps men sitting in the bottom three at the half-way point of the season.

It appears that Gundogan is now looking for a new challenge as the Express are claiming today that he has told Dortmund chiefs that he has no intention of signing a new contract at the club.

The midfielders current deal expires in 2016 but with the former Bundesliga champions still smarting from losing Robert Lewandowski on a free transfer to Bayern Munich, the newspaper suggests they are ready to cash-in now to prevent a similar situation developing with Gundogan.

Understandably, there are no shortage of takers and the Express claim that Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are all keen to bring the midfielder to England this winter, with Louis van Gaal’s men believed to be the front-runners for his signature.

Gundogan has previously admitted he’d love to test himself either in La Liga or the Premier League, so a move to these shores could be on the cards if a deal could be agreed with Dortmund.

“Playing outside Germany is one of my big goals.

“If one day I leave here, I’d like to play in Spain or for one of the big teams in England.” Gundogan is quoted as saying by the Express

Man Utd spent heavily in the summer but it’s understood that van Gaal will have ample funds available to further strengthen his squad and Gundogan would be an excellent addition to the ranks at Old Trafford if they were able to win the race for his signature.

However, Arsenal are in desperate need of midfield reinforcements with Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta all struggling with injury during the first half of the season and I’m sure Gunners fans would love to see a player of Gundogan’s quality brought to the club in January.

READ MORE –> Arsenal transfer news | Chelsea transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

The North Londoners have the finances to compete with United, while Chelsea would also pose a real threat to the former champions if Jose Mourinho is serious about signing him, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up if Gundogan decides to try his luck in England if and when he leaves Dortmund.