- 19 Apr 2024
Milan set to seal signing that hints at Donnarumma departure to Chelsea
Emmet Gates
- Updated: 19 May 2021 14:39 BST
- 5 min read
Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s could be leaving the club to join Chelsea as they line up his replacement.
According to a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Rossoneri are closing in on the signing of Lillie goalkeeper Mike Maignan on a five-year contract.
READ MORE: Donnarumma slammed for running down Milan contract
It’s highly unlikely that Maignan would sign with the Italian giants merely to play as back-up, so this seems to hint at a departure for Donnarumma, whose contract is up in the summer.
Donnarumma’s future
Donnarumma’s future has hung over Milan all season long.
The goalkeeper broke into the first team half a decade ago, under the tutelage of then-coach Sinisa Mihaljovic.
Donnarumma, who is represented by Mino Raiola, tried to engineer a move away from the club in the summer of 2017, only for the youngster to eventually go against his agent after an outcry from the Milan faithful. At that time, he signed a new four-year contract worth €5 million a season.
That contract is now close to running out and Donnarumma has yet to put pen to paper on a new extension.
It is thought that Milan have offered Donnarumma a new deal worth an estimated €8-10m per season, including bonuses. This has reportedly been rejected by Raiola.
It has also been speculated that Donnarumma wants to wait until Milan mathematically secure Champions League football before committing himself to a new deal at San Siro.
As of yet, that has not happened, with the club sitting second in Serie A, but only three points clear of fifth-placed Napoli with six games left.
Where will Donnarumma go?
Juventus have long been admirers of Donnarumma’s.
However, the Bianconeri are on course for their worst season in a decade and are currently struggling financially in light of the global pandemic as well as the Super League’s failure to get off the ground.
It has been reported that Raiola is demanding a €20m commission fee for any Donnarumma deal, which would instantly turn Juventus against any deal with money scarce.
Another destination could be Chelsea. The London side have also held long-term interest in Donnarumma, but it remains to be seen if they will want to enter negotiations with Raiola.
This is due to club owner Roman Abramovich vowing never to do business with Raiola again after missing out on signing Romelu Lukaku in 2017 after believing they had won the race to capture the striker.
Lukaku eventually signed for Manchester Utd.
But a move to Chelsea remains more likely than a move across northern Italy to Turin for the current Milan captain.
