Transfer Rumour: Manchester United receive golden opportunity to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma

According to a report by Diario Gol, Manchester United have been offered the opportunity to sign 18-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma from AC Milan as a replacement for Real Madrid-bound David De Gea.

The youngster was also linked to joining Juventus, but he ruled out any possibility of playing for his current club’s rivals.With Donnarumma’s contract set to expire next year, Milan will be hoping to cash in on him before that happens. While the Italian club may not be at their very best form, they are undergoing an exciting rebuilding project and Donnarumma’s departure is likely to hamper the same.

Often touted the ‘next Gianlugi Buffon’, the young Italian has risen to prominence at AC Milan over a relatively short period of time. He quickly progressed through the ranks at Milan and made his first-team debut at the tender age of 16. Since then, he has only improved and cemented himself as a key figure for Milan.

 

Although 2016/17 saw the Rossoneri fail to enter the top four and forfeit qualification for Champions League football, Donnarumma was a silver lining as he kept 12 clean sheets in 37 Italian top-flight games. In fact, he conceded just 43 goals in the process.

The saga concerning David De Gea, Real Madrid and Manchester United has been going for a couple of seasons now. The Spanish keeper is easily one of the best across Europe and has been a prized asset for the Old Trafford club. However, it seems like this season, he will be on his way to play under Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid.

With De Gea’s departure all but imminent, Donnarumma can be a worthy replacement. The teen superstar is already considered one of the best and playing for a club like Manchester United can accelerate his growth as he becomes a reliable keeper for the Red Devils. Also, he is very young and can be looked at as a long-term option.

However, some reports earlier did suggest that Real Madrid have dropped their interest in pursuing David De Gea and are focusing on signing Donnarumma instead. Los Blancos were the best team in all aspects last season but having a quality goalkeeper like De Gea or Donnarumma will certainly boost their chances next season.

As far as Manchester United are concerned though, signing Donnarumma should be made priority only if De Gea is sure of leaving this summer. If not, they already have one of the best keepers in the game and can focus on procuring other talents.