Chelsea may have spent close to £100million on goalkeepers in recent seasons but the club’s rumoured interest in Italy no.1 Gianluigi Donnarumma has never gone away.
Donnarumma’s agent Mino Raiola even came out in public earlier this month and claimed that the Blues have been in contact with his client over a potential free-transfer move this summer when his contract expires at AC Milan.
If the Italian fails to agree a deal with Milan there will be no shortage of takers for the star with Manchester United also holding a long-term interest in the goalkeeper.
With no transfer fee to pay the huge wages and agents fee that would be demanded will surely not put too many potential suitors off.
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There are just ten games remaining for AC Milan this season with the Italian giants in second place six points behind Serie A leaders and arch-rivals Inter Milan. Unless a deal is completed these could be Donnarumma’s final ten games at the club he made his debut for aged just 16.
According to Italian football journalist Gianluca Di Marzio a new deal for the ‘keeper is still someway off due to the demands from Donnarumma and Raiola:
“It would be bad if this love story ended like this without a renewal. Then, everyone does their job and if he [Gigio] makes requests that aren’t accepted, it’s right that he doesn’t renew. But it would be a shame if Donnarumma didn’t renew.
“It would surprise me a lot if June came without an agreement. In that case, the club will have to sign a goalkeeper of an important level, that’s why I think the situation will have to be resolved by early May,” as reported in MilanNews.
If Milan are unable to match the wage demands of Donnarumma Chelsea may be tempted to move for the 22-year-old in a bid to find a long-term no.1.
The world’s most expensive goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge with both Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel relegating the £71m player to the role of understudy to this season’s new singing Edouard Mendy.
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The Senegalese goalkeeper has made a fine start to life at Chelsea so a move for Donnarumma may seem harsh on the Blues stopper but players of the Italian’s quality do not come around very often, let alone on a free transfer at the age of just 22.
Chelsea will be sure to be watching whether or not AC Milan match the £8m wage demands of Donnarumma.
If they cannot stretch that far the Blues could swoop and net themselves one of the world’s top goalkeepers without having to pay a transfer fee.