Borussia Dortmund have reportedly emerged as contenders to re-sign Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer this summer.
The 32-year-old represented BVB for five years between 2011 and 2016, featuring 157 times for the club and clinching a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in his debut season.
Gundogan also helped Dortmund reach the final of the 2012-13 Champions League, where he scored from the penalty spot to level the scores against Bayern Munich, but BVB ultimately fell to a 2-1 defeat.
Gundogan's form at Westfalenstadion attracted the attention of Manchester City, who brought him to the Etihad in a €27m (£23.3m) move in 2016 as Pep Guardiola's first signing.
The Germany international has collected a plethora of trophies during his time in sky blue, but he is only under contract for another few weeks and can walk away as a free agent in July as things stand.
Gundogan's agent recently insisted that no decision had been made on his future, but Arsenal and Barcelona are both thought to be competing for his signature on a free transfer.
City boss Guardiola is keen to keep Gundogan on the books at the Etihad Stadium, but the Premier League champions are supposedly only willing to offer him a one-year extension, while the midfielder is looking for a firm two years.
According to German outlet Bild, Gundogan is edging closer to an exit from Man City as contract talks fail to yield a breakthrough, and a return to Dortmund is now a genuine possibility.
The Bundesliga giants are expected to lose Jude Bellingham in a £130m deal to Real Madrid in the coming weeks, while Mahmoud Dahoud is also on the verge of joining Brighton & Hove Albion.
Head coach Edin Terzic would therefore welcome additions in the middle of the park, and the money raised from Bellingham's departure could go towards covering Gundogan's hefty wages.
The former Schalke youngster is also understood to enjoy a positive relationship with Dortmund director Sebastien Kehl, who played alongside Gundogan at Dortmund until his retirement in 2015.
It also remains to be seen if Barcelona can afford to sign both Gundogan and Lionel Messi, as the Blaugrana are working to cut costs in order to reunite with the latter after his exit from Paris Saint-Germain.
Since swapping the Bundesliga for the Premier League, Gundogan has registered 60 goals and 40 assists in 303 games for Man City, winning five top-flight titles, four EFL Cups and two FA Cups in the process.
The German scored the fastest-ever FA Cup final goal with a sublime volley against Manchester United after just 12 seconds on Saturday, and he completed his brace in the second half to propel Man City to a 2-1 win at Wembley.
The Citizens' captain boasts 11 goals and seven assists from 50 matches in a Man City shirt during the current campaign and will wear the armband for Saturday's Champions League final with Inter Milan, as Guardiola's side aim to complete a historic treble.
