Gianluigi Donnarumma is officially leaving Milan as a free agent. Club technical director Paolo Maldini confirmed on Wednesday the goalkeeper’s departure with a statement on the Rossoneri‘s Twitch channel.
“Gigio has been a leader and a captain many times. It is difficult for people to understand what it means to be a professional and that sometimes you have to change jerseys. It is difficult to accept and it is even more difficult to find new careers. We must respect who has given Milan a lot, he was always respectful to us. Our ways are parting, I can only wish him the best,” he said.
However, the 22-year old goalkeeper has not come to terms with any other team so far. It is untrue that he has already agreed to a pre-contract with Juventus. Borussia Dortmund approached him, but he did not consider the destination. The Rossoneri made their call as they were tired of waiting for an answer on the extension. The goalkeeper turned down the opportunity to sign it on multiple occasions, Gianluca Di Marzio reports.
Donnarumma hoped that the club would raise their proposal after qualifying for Champions League, but it did not happen, nor he budged. On the contrary, the management quickly moved to seal the deal for Mike Maignan, who landed in Italy Monday night. The two sides were miles apart on the new contract. The latest offer was €8M annual wages and a €20M release clause if they finished outside next season. Mino Raiola instead wanted at least €10M per year and a €15/20M commission right away, Corriere della Sera informs.
The entire Milan management also sent a signal by opposing the excessive requests of the agent. The uncompromising stance could impact the future of Hakan Calhanoglu and Alessio Romagnoli and their pursuit of Rodrigo De Paul, La Gazzetta dello Sport indicates.
Juventus, Barcelona, and PSG are now considered the three most likely landing spots for Donnarumma. The Bianconeri have been after him for some time but, like the Blaugrana, they would have to decide to move on from their long-time starters first, Wojciech Szczesny and Marc André Ter-Stegen. They would be both options for Borussia Dortmund, which are looking for a high-profile goalkeeper. The French club instead recently extended the contract of Keylor Navas.