Donnarumma in a complicated situation after Milan exit
Super agent Mino Raiola has been blamed for the current situation of young goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The Italian who is the agent of Donnarumma has been accused of handling the contract situation of the goalkeeper badly, with the 23-year-old still unable to find a club since announcing his departure from AC Milan.
According to ESPN’s Gabriele Marcotti, Raiola’s approach to negotiations complicated the situation and pushed Milan to bring in a replacement quickly.
It is understood that the San Siro side made their final renewal offer to Donnarumma and his entourage when they secured Champions League qualification. The deal, which was reportedly worth £300k a week, could have made Donnarumma among the top-five best-paid goalkeepers in the world. But his reluctance to accept the offer, apparently due to Raiola’s advice, led Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara to move on quickly to sign Mike Maignan from Lille for about £13m.
According to Marcotti, Raiola went back to Milan to see ‘if they were willing to reconsider signing the previous deal,’ but Milan made it clear that they had already moved on.
As a result, the goalkeeper, who at 23 is considered one of the best shot-stoppers in the world, has been left without a club.
Marcotti also revealed that he believes that Donnarumma would find it difficult to get a deal close to what Milan offered him because he now has ‘less bargaining power’ since Donnarumma has no club.
PSG and Juventus were rumoured to be leading the chase for the goalkeeper, but according to Marcotti, both clubs have different player targets this season. They do not consider the goalkeeper area a priority due to the numbers involved.
PSG consider the contract renewal for Kylian Mbappe and the signing of Georginio Wijnaldum a priority this summer. They are also said to be satisfied with the performance of Keylor Navas in goal.
Juventus are also said to prioritise the strengthening of their squad in other areas more important than the signing of a new goalkeeper as their current option Wojciech Szczęsny is tied on a long-term contract.
With the current financial strains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Italian journalist also added that no club will be willing to take Donnarumma or offer close to the contract Milan offered him.
Gazidis still holds the goalie in ‘absolute esteem’
Meanwhile, the club’s CEO Ivan Gazidis has insisted that he still holds the goalkeeper in “absolute esteem” despite the nature of his exit.
Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, the Milan chief said;
“I don’t want to reveal the details, nor the timing, and I don’t know the boundaries of the relationship between Gigio and Raiola,” Gazidis told the Italian publication. “In the end, of course, the decision is always the player’s.
“What I can say is that Gigio was an exceptional professional, every single day, and in the last match against Atalanta, there was no one happier than him for qualifying for the Champions League.
“I have absolute esteem for him, as well as respect his choices. No negative accent. He did what he thought was best for him, and there are a few reasons on his side, but I don’t say which ones.”
