Man City set to release skipper Gundogan and Mendy

Treble winners Manchester City are set to release captain Ilkay Gundogan and Benjamin Mendy when their contracts expire this month after the Premier League said on Friday (Jun 16) they were included on the list of players who can leave on free transfers.

Gundogan had been silent on his future after leading the club to the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League trophies this season, with the Germany international linked with moves to Arsenal and Barcelona.

The 32-year-old, who proved to be the man for the big occasion in City's historic treble bid, won 14 trophies at the club, including five league titles following his move from Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in 2016.

Mendy has not played for City since August 2021 after he was suspended following his arrest on charges of rape and sexual assault.

The Frenchman, who was signed in 2017 for a fee in the region of 52 million pounds (US$66.63 million), was found not guilty of six counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in January but he faces a retrial on two other charges.