Ilkay Gundogan says he won't be rushed into signing a new deal at Manchester City amid protracted contract negotiations.
Gundogan's contract expires at the end of next season and the club are keen to extend his stay, with negotiations over a new deal ongoing.
City boss Pep Guardiola has described him as an "incredibly important player" to his squad but Gundogan, 28, says he is relaxed about the situation.
"I'm very happy here," he told reporters. "I'm not the youngest any more, [it] just needs sometimes a little bit of time, you know?
"The club doesn't rush me, I don't rush myself, so I have still more than one year to go so I try to see it relaxed and then we will see.
"I think in terms of playing football, in terms of enjoying the game, at the moment in Europe there is not really a better place than here.
"Obviously that's a great sign when one of the greatest managers asks you to stay in this team."
Gundogan showed his versatility by playing in a deeper midfield role in Saturday's 1-0 victory at Bournemouth that kept the pressure on Liverpool in a tight Premier League title race.
City stopped the home side from having a single shot on or off target as they kept a clean sheet for a third successive game and Gundogan said he is happy to take on the responsibility of such a key role.
"You have a lot of responsibility in terms of having defensive stability, so that's why you have to take care, especially when your opponent has pacy players up front like Bournemouth," he said.
"I think we controlled everything quite well and for me it's just another job, I just have to be aware that I'm not really allowed to go much up front, but that's fine, I know we have a lot of quality there so I just try to fulfil my role in that position and when we are able to not concede and win the game I am also very happy."