Pep Guardiola has confirmed a clause to extend the contract of Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been triggered.
City brought Gundogan back from Barcelona last summer on a one-year deal which included the option for a further 12 months based on the veteran midfielder's level of involvement this season.
The specifics of his contract are not known, but Gundogan has started 31 games across all competitions and played the seventh-most minutes in the entire squad, evidently meeting the threshold for an extension.
However, Guardiola refused to guarantee Gundogan will still be at the Etihad Stadium next season as the City boss prepares to oversee a drastic overhaul of a playing squad which is not yet guaranteed of a spot in next season's Champions League.
"He has one more year contract, definitely," Guardiola explained. "What will happen [in the summer], I don't know, but he has one more year contract now.
"The Gundo from Leicester, the Gundo from Bournemouth, the Gundo from today [vs Crystal Palace] is the Gundo I remember, when we won the Treble and Quadruple and an important player.
"So his activity, his pace, his defensive intelligence arrived. Gundo has been with us massively. And as a team we could not help him, because it's not about 'you, you, you'. Everyone was down, was below, because the team was not playing good.
"When the team plays good, the individuals rise. Without that, in modern football you cannot do it."
Gundogan was one of Guardiola's most reliable players during his first spell at City. Between 2016 and 2023, the Germany international racked up 304 appearances and contributed to five Premier League titles and the 2022/23 Champions League triumph.
His contract was allowed to expire after that European triumph and Gundogan headed to Barcelona, only to return after 12 months when Guardiola specifically requested a reunion.
While he has remained a core part of Guardiola's starting lineup, concerns have been raised about the 34-year-old's suitability to the tempo of modern day Premier League football, with City prepared to embark on an expensive midfield rebuild this summer.
Kevin De Bruyne will be the most high-profile exit and it is not yet clear whether Gundogan will follow suit. Any interested clubs - reports have touted a possible move to Turkiye - will now need to negotiate with City, rather than with the player directly.
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