Gundogan is certainly a key player in Manchester City's squad. He may not have scored many goals or assists, but Gundogan has been instrumental in keeping the team's overall performance stable. The important thing is that Gundogan has been with the Manchester City squad for a long time. Because of this, if Gundogan suddenly leaves the team, it will be difficult for Guardiola to fill his void. But Guardiola is an experienced coach. He may be able to find a suitable replacement for Gundogan very quickly and stabilize his squad.
At his age I think that like it or not Manchester City already have plenty of options to replace Gundogan. With the support of funds and having players above average in individual skills it is not a big problem if Pep Guardiola loses him. Gundogan has contributed a lot and now he has the right to decide. Manchester City have won maximum trophies in every competition and next season's targets will definitely continue to be expanded. Apart from Gundogan maybe Pep has been thinking about this for a long time. Clubs that want to take Gundogan will definitely have to make a bet with the condition that they are no longer young.
I agree with you. Gundogan is a very talented player. But we must not forget that Gundogan is almost 33 years old. And so it is even more important for Manchester City to find Gundogan's replacement. And coach Guardiola is very experienced. He does not base his match strategy on any particular player. Manchester City's most important player was not Gundogan. And so I think even if Gundogan is not in the team, we won't see much of an impact on City's performance next season. Guardiola will find a suitable replacement for Gundogan.