A cynic may argue Toni Kroos has been at the Etihad Stadium ever since Sergio Aguero's statue was unveiled in May 2022 but he in fact remains at Real Madrid.

Yet, rumours are gathering that Manchester City are interested in signing the legendary midfielder. Kroos is out of contract in the summer and as he plays in Spain, the Blues could theoretically begin negotiations with him ahead of a free move in the summer from January onwards. The Sun reports City are considering doing just that.

It's hard to believe Pep Guardiola would be keen to add a midfielder who turns 34 in January to his squad but if City were to recruit Kroos it would make their handling of Ilkay Gundogan even stranger. The Blues waved goodbye to their treble-winning captain in the summer as he departed for Barcelona upon the expiration of his contract.

A contract City could have and should have done much more to extend. Though the club has gotten used to seeing legendary figures leave in recent years, Gundogan was a different case.

Unlike Vincent Kompany, Fernandinho, Sergio Aguero and David Silva, Gundogan was not on the decline but rather playing the best football of his career. He was Guardiola's most trusted lieutenant on the pitch and was pivotal to making the manager's intricate system work. Not to mention all the crucial goals he scored.

Though injuries to Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Bernardo Silva have also had an impact, City have been far from their best so far this season and the absence of Gundogan to make the midfield tick has had a negative impact. Considering his importance to the side, City made a rare blunder in how they approached contract negotiations.

The club initially didn't want to offer the German the length of contract he was after and though they eventually relented amid his great form, it was too late. "In the end, it wasn't about a year or two. It didn't hit the runtime. City waited a relatively long time for the talks to really get more intense. If that had happened a little earlier, the starting position would have been different," Gundogan told German publication Bild in September.

City could have kept hold of Gundogan but had reservations over his age given he's now 32. It's a fair policy to have in not offering players over 30 long deals - it has worked with Kompany, Fernandinho and Kyle Walker - and only gone wrong this once.

This is why it's incredibly difficult to see City signing Kroos, especially as it would mean they would lose all credibility in their stance on Gundogan. Letting one legendary German midfielder go because he's too old only to sign one who's older? Not a great look.

It isn't to say Kroos would be a completely dreadful addition. He's a world-class player with a wealth of valuable experience. In a world where City don't have a good alternative to Rodri, Kroos could fill the role of having to occasionally fill in for him quite well. He is a sensational passer and should fit in well in a City side. He has featured in every game this season so it's not as though he's old and decrepid.

But signing ageing Real Madrid legends for massive money only to be held with the bill when they do start to decline has become a habit at Old Trafford. Probably best to keep it that way.