Kevin De Bruyne has hinted at one of Man City's best bits of summer transfer business

It feels like a lifetime ago now but there was a stage when Manchester City's transfer window was tinged with a hint of peril.

Way back in May, before the season had even concluded, Ilkay Gundogan was being heavily linked with a move away from City. In the final, pivotal weeks of the season, speculation was growing stronger. The likes of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal and, of course, Barcelona were all linked and with only a year remaining on his contract, the possibility of a departure looked worryingly high.

The German was spotted at a private jet terminal in May which sparked a flurry of speculation. He was instead jetting off to get married but the anxiety caused showed how real the threat was perceived. The timing of the reports was said to have infuriated his agent but Gundogan remained level-headed, saying nothing would be resolved until the end of the season.

ALSO READ: City fans send clear transfer message to Bernardo Silva he can't ignore

Then, on the final day of the season, it was his introduction and remarkable brace that steered City away from a last-gasp disaster to claim the Premier League title just ahead of Liverpool. It was the sort of game-changing display that justified all the concern surrounding his future.

Leaving was a real possibility. Gundogan didn't play as much as he wanted to last season, even starting on the bench in the crucial Aston Villa game may have come as a blow before he wrote his name into City folklore.

Raheem Sterling said after the match: "He hasn't featured as much as he likes, he got the chance to make his mark." Gundogan himself tweeted the campaign wasn't an easy one personally. With a year remaining on his contract and a decent fee on the table, a sale may have