Mike Maignan is officially the new Milan starter, as the club made the signing official Wednesday. The 25-year-old goalkeeper took the medicals Tuesday and signed a five-year contract earlier today. He will replace Gianluigi Donnarumma, who will leave the club at the end of his deal. The Rossoneri acquired him for €13M, plus €2M add-ons, giving him a €3M salary. He will wear no.16.
Maignan was born in Cayenne in the French Guiana on July 3rd, 1995, and was raised in Villiers-le-Bel, near Paris. He joined the PSG’s youth academy at 14. He signed his first pro contract in 2013, initially serving as the third-stringer and sharing time with Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the club. He then transferred to Lille in 2015 to become a starter and collected 180 appearances over the last six seasons.
He was one of Les Dogues‘ strong points in the recent title-winning campaign, conceding just 23 goals and keeping 21 clean sheets in 38 Ligue 1 matches. He will be the tenth foreign goalkeeper in the history of the club, Sky Sport points out.
The goalkeeper commented: “I followed Milan a lot when I was younger. They have had several legends and I will land in a tactical league that will make me grow even more. I talked with Rafael Leao and Adrien Rabiot beforehand. The project is very ambitious, I am in one of the biggest clubs in the world. I have improved a lot over the years, I am more experienced and mature now, and that means a lot in football. I am learning Italian from Rabiot, but I do not speak it yet.”