Pep Guardiola is willing to be patient with Ilkay Gundogan over a new Manchester City deal.
The City boss is keen for the Germany midfielder to sign fresh terms and follow team-mates Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte who penned new deals earlier this season.
But Gundogan, who made his 37th appearance of the campaign in a 3-1 win over Watford on Saturday, is yet to commit his Etihad future with his contract set to expire next summer.
Guardiola said: “I said in the press conference we would like to but it depends on the club and him so I don’t know. Hopefully he can stay.
“I would prefer him to stay but at the same time I want to feel he wants to stay too.
“If he doesn’t want to stay he has to leave. But we would like to continue. Next season he has a contract and a longer time together.
“I said before if he wants to stay, we will talk to him and we can sign the contract.
“We signed the contract with Kevin (De Bruyne) in a few days, with other players, with Gabriel (Jesus). But he doesn’t want right (to) now so we will wait.
“When he wants it, we will be here.”
Gundogan, 28, has made 101 appearances for City since joining in a £20million deal from Borussia Dortmund in 2016.