It's not just Barcelona, there is another team interested in taking Gündogan from Manchester City

Ilkay Gündogan's future remains uncertain as his contract with Manchester City expires at the end of this season. In recent months, he has been strongly linked with Barcelona, and there have even been talks of a possible contract extension with City. However, now the Catalan team has a new rival, and that would be AC Milan.

Gündogan joined City in the 2016/2017 season with the dream of winning the treble with the English club. This season, that dream could come true, but it seems that after seven seasons under Guardiola, his time at City is coming to an end, and this is where Milan comes into play.

The Italian club aims to build a competitive team to fight for big things but must also adhere to a limited budget. That's why they would be interested in signings on a free transfer, and Gündogan would be one of those reinforcements that the Italian board would greatly like. Milan is reportedly very interested in the German midfielder to add quality to their midfield without incurring transfer costs.

Milan will have to compete with Barcelona, another team also seeking cheap or free transfers. The Catalan club faces financial restrictions and must reduce their wage bill in order to bring in more players. Milan could take advantage of this situation and offer the German player a more attractive contract and salary to persuade him to join their club.

The club with the advantage

Gündogan reportedly prefers a move to Barcelona as he sees the Catalan team as a more prominent entity with a greater chance of winning titles. However, Milan could captivate the player and lure him to Italy. Undoubtedly, we will witness a tough battle between the Italian and Spanish teams throughout the summer, but only Ílkay Gündogan knows the final decision.