Although Gianluigi Donnarumma is only 22-years-old, one would imagine that he’s much older based on the number of transfer sagas witnessed between himself and Milan.
The giant goalkeeper debuted for the Rossoneri at the tender of 16 under the guidance of then-manager Sinisa Mihajlovic, and has managed to remain the club’s undisputed number one throughout the reigns of Vincenzo Montella, Gennaro Gattuso and current-coach Stefano Pioli.
Nonetheless, when your agent is called Mino Raiola, then it could only spell trouble for your club, as the Italo-Dutch is notorious for his insistence on coming out with the best possible deals for his clients – and of course for himself.
According to Corriere della Sera (via MilanNews.it), Donnarumma is still hoping to remain at Milan for the next few years, as he dreams of playing in the Champions League with his boyhood club.
However, he and his agent are currently binding their time before accepting the Diavolo’s contract renewal offer, as they want to make sure that the club secures its spot within next season’s European elite competition.
Pioli’s men currently sit in second place in the Serie A table, 11 points adrift of their city rivals Inter. Whilst they are expected to finish within the Top 4, the competition for the European spots is heating up, with Juventus, Atalanta, Napoli and even Lazio all engaged in the battle.
Gigio’s contract expires by the end of the season, and thus, if the two sides fail to reach an agreement to extend his stay at the club, then the Italian international will be able to explore the free market.
The source also claims that in the last case, Juventus and Paris Saint Germain will be waiting in the wings, as both clubs are known to be long-time admirers of the young shot-stopper.
For their part, Milan are also looking for alternatives – in case Donnarumma ends up leaving – with Udinese’s Juan Musso (valued at 25 million euros) being the main target.