Gianluigi Donnarumma blamed Milan for making the decisive move in their divorce by signing another goalkeeper early. Instead, the management believes to have acted correctly and that the Italian international had already made up his mind.
The PSG shot-stopper told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “The last phone call by the club was to communicate me that they had acquired somebody else. That is how it ended. It was not easy to leave Milan, where I grew up as a player and as a man. I can only thank them. Their fans always treated me well, and I felt at home there. Everybody thinks the departure was entirely my fault without looking at what happened on the other side.”
Milan director Frederic Massara replied to Donnarumma to SportMediaset before the Coppa Italia win over Lazio: “It was a courtesy call after his rejections to inform that we would have to search for an alternative. We felt it was correct by us to tell him directly before making it official. We are very happy with Mike Maignan now, and we wish Gigio the best for the prosecution of his career.”
Donnarumma added that he remains fond of Milan: “I still follow them passionately. I am in touch with my former teammates and coach Stefano Pioli. I hope they keep it going. Maignan has been impressive.”
The goalkeeper downplayed the dualism with Keylor Navas and addressed other topics: “It is untrue that we had some issues, as we have an excellent relationship. I am close with Kylian Mbappé, but we do not talk about contracts and such. The decision is entirely up to him. I am convinced we will qualify for the World Cup because we are a healthy group that reacts well to difficult moments.”