Pep Guardiola will step up his pursuit of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan in the coming weeks, reports the Sun on Sunday.
The Spaniard takes over the Manchester City reins in the summer and is keen to rebuild the squad in his image, with John Stones and Aymeric Laporte rumoured to be priority targets for the Citizens.
However, City have been strongly linked with a move for Gundogan with Guardiola eyeing the Germany international as the ideal replacement for Yaya Toure.
The powerful Ivorian is expected to depart the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season and has been strongly linked with a move to Inter Milan, though Toure is keem to remain in the Premier League.
Gundogan has not played since the 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich last month due to injury, but has been an impressive performer in the middle of the park for Dortmund, averaging the third most passes per game (84) in the Bundesliga this season.
For more stats on Ilkay Gundogan, click here to view his WhoScored player page
