Shock admission fuels Man City nightmare: Best in the world to leave after guilty verdict

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Tom Weber | Writer

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is among the stars expected to jump ship if the club end up receiving heavy sanctions for their financial breaches.

On Tuesday, the Premier League officially confirmed that the Etihad club had been found guilty of the majority of their infamous 115 charges, relating to breaches of financial rules as well as non-cooperation.

Man City have vehemently denied all allegations and announced that they will "pursue the appeal avenues." They argue that "the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe."

No sanctions have as yet been decided, but it is believed that they will be specified and announced before the end of the season, with the Premier League insisting that it wants to resolve the matter "as soon as possible."

Given the unprecedented nature of the case, it is difficult to make any predictions regarding the potential punishment, which could range from fines, points deductions and transfer ban to outright Premier League expulsion.

Donnarumma to jump ship?

Should the commission overseeing the case opt for the nuclear option and mete out sanctions that could result in relegation, Man City are likely to face a player exodus of epic proportions. Of course, all of this is hypothetical at this stage.

Erling Haaland has already been the subject of plenty of speculation, with numerous clubs attentive to his situation. He is believed to have long-term ambitions of playing in LaLiga, but FootballTransfers has revealed that Arsenal would also look to pounce should he become available.

American wonderkid Cavan Sullivan, who has a pre-agreement to join Man City after his 18th birthday, is being eyed by Barcelona amid reports that he could look to back out of his deal with the Premier League pariah club. Numerous others will also reconsider their futures.

Indeed, TEAMtalk has now added goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to the list of players who could jump ship if Man City end up receiving a substantial punishment that could impact their sporting fortunes.

The Italy international is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world - if not the best - and will have no shortage of options should he look to leave the Etihad.

Intriguingly, the report claims that his most likely next destination at this incredibly early stage is Real Madrid. The Spanish giants are supposedly looking for a long-term replacement for Thibaut Courtois.

However, Fabrizio Romano reports that the Belgium international is expected to extend his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu. Earlier this month, Courtois announced that he still intends to keep playing for "five or six more years."

Of course, there is no guarantee that he will spend that time at Real Madrid, but his statement and Romano's reporting certainly suggest that the Spanish giants won't need a new No.1 anytime soon.

When it comes to Donnarumma's future, a surprising statement from his representative Enzo Raiola is perhaps more instructive. In January, just a few months after the Italian's arrival, the agent admitted that his client was already thinking about life after Man City.

"Today, at Manchester City, he's finding serenity with the team and the environment, and he finds the project very interesting," Raiola began. "He's also starting to understand the English league.

"The other day he told me that playing there for five or six years would be an adventure - but it was a joke," Raiola emphasised before revealing Donnarumma's real long-term ambition: "If the opportunity to return to Italy arises, we will seize it."

He added: "Already in the summer, some [Italian] clubs had shown interest when his contract with Paris Saint-Germain was expiring. Then, Manchester City came along."

Specifically, Inter and his former club AC Milan were interested in bringing Donnarumma back to Serie A in 2025. The former needed an upgrade on Yann Sommer, who has since departed, while the latter feared a potential exit of Mike Maignan.

Should the Man City situation escalate, both clubs are likely to be interested again next summer. Maignan's future has remained a topic of speculation, while Josep Martinez has not been infallible at Inter.

Whether a return to AC Milan is feasible remains to be seen. The goalkeeper left the club under a cloud and was nicknamed "Dollarumma" by supporters over his decision to "follow the money" and join PSG.

Given the acrimony between Donnarumma and Milan fans, a move to hated city rivals Inter would perhaps be fitting.

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