AC Milan’s teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma will not renew his contract at San Siro, the club have announced, setting up a domino effect that will impact Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.
Donnarumma is without a doubt the best young goalkeeper in Europe, but his agent Mino Raiola, has bigger plans for his client than the seven-time European champions.
Raiola has told Milan CEO Marco Fassone that the 18-year-old goalkeeper will not be extending his contract at his boyhood club, which has 12 months to run.
‘Mino Raiola has informed me of the decision not to renew Donnarumma’ said Fassone.
‘It’s a final decision. We trusted that Gigio was the goalkeeper of the new Milan, the pillar on which to build but we have to revise our assessments.
‘This decision saddens us but we go forward, Milan goes on.’
Everything had previously pointed towards Donnarumma staying in Milan, with the young stopper telling GQ:
‘Everyone knows that my wish is to stay at Milan.
‘I’m looking for a house in the city to live with my family.
‘I’m calm, all the parties involved know the decision I’ve made. I’m very much tied to these colours. Both Mino and Enzo Raiola and I are a cohesive team.’
The decision by Donnarumma to leave Milan is front page news in Madrid, where Real have bene heavily linked with a move for
David de Gea or Thibaut Courtois this summer.
But now the 18-year-old goalkeeper is the lead story in both Marca and AS, with both theorising that his decision is down to Real Madrid’s interest in signing him.
AS say Donnarumma’s decision to reject a new deal at the San Siro has moved him ‘closer’ to the Bernabeu while Marca say Real Madrid have a ‘shot’ at signing the teenager this summer.
