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On the eve of the DFB-Pokal semifinal against Borussia Dortmund, BILD reported Bayern Munich have reached out to German midfielder Ilkay Gündogan. The German tabloid has dubbed the Germany international, whose contract expires in June, 2016, a possible replacement for Bastian Schweinsteiger and Xabi Alonso.
Felix Seidel from BILD is under the belief Bayern "know the conditions" that would come with a Gündogan transfer, and they know the competition currently underway to get midfielder's signature. Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid are the suitors the paper named in the running for the Dortmund academy product.
Gündogan has reportedly deflected the attempts of Dortmund to extend his contract beyond 2016, an indicator BILD is recognizing as a precursor to a possible move this summer. The latest contract offer was
Alonso's and Schweinsteiger's contract both expire in 2016, so a connection between the two veterans and this reported interest from Bayern is an easy one to make. Should Gündogan choose to move to Bayern, he would be the third Dortmund player in the last four years to exchange his yellow kit for a red one, following in the footsteps of Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski.
The midfielder has been a crucial part to Dortmund's resurgence into mid-table since his return from chronic back problems, and will be integral to their final push to get a spot in the Europa League. He is due to get a start against Bayern Munich in the semifinal on Tuesday after sitting out on the weekend.