Gianluigi Donnarumma Could Be Available For A Mere £20m This Summer
REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
According to reports in The Sun, both the Manchester clubs can secure the services of AC Milan wonderkid Gianluigi Donnarumma for just £20 million in the summer.
The report states that the 18-year-old, who enters the final 12 months of his contract, has already told his friends that he will leave San Siro this summer in favour of a move to the Premier League.
The teenage sensation broke into Milan’s first team at the tender age of 16, and since then, he has proven his class on countless occasions. Thee 6ft 5in keeper has made 70 appearances for the Rossoneri already, and is widely tipped as the long-term successor for the Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon once he retires.
Given his exploits in the past 18 months, Donnarumma has been linked with Manchester United for months, as Jose Mourinho believes the Italy international to be the ideal candidate to replace David De Gea, who is expected to seal a move to Real Madrid this summer.
The Red Devils had been leading the chase for the teenager, but Manchester City are reportedly set to compete with their arch-rivals to sign one of Europe’s brightest goalkeeping prospects.
With Joe Hart unlikely to have a future under Pep Guardiola, and Claudio Bravo struggling to adapt to life in England since his summer switch from Barcelona, the Citizens are desperately in need of a new goalkeeper this summer, and are willing to shell out £70,000-a-week wages to bring Donnarumma to the Etihad.
The teenager has reportedly rejected contract offers from AC Milan, and to prevent the risk of losing him on a free next season, the Serie A club are considering selling him in a cut-price deal, which is said to be close to £20 million.
Despite mounting interest from the Mancunian powerhouses for the goalkeeper, there is no denying that Champions League football could prove to be a decisive factor behind which club the youngster ends up joining, as both teams continue to fight for a place in Europe’s elite competition for the upcoming season.
Written by Pragadeesh Shanmugam 