Chelsea have reportedly opened talks with AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in hope of convincing him to join the club in the summer.
According to Simon Phillips, who cites ‘ExWHUemployee’ as his source, Chelsea are in negotiations with AC Milan and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma over the possibility of a transfer in the next summer window.
A product of the AC Milan academy, Donnarumma burst onto the scenes back in 2015 and has since steadily grown into one of the best goalkeepers in the Serie A. Till date, he has racked up 221 appearances for the Rossoneri, despite being just 21 years old, keeping 78 clean sheets in the process.
Pretty much an ever-present in Stefano Pioli’s starting XI this term, Donnarumma has missed just one of Milan’s 14 Serie A matches, due to coronavirus, and has conceded just 13 goals, helping the Rossoneri to the top of the league standings.
However, heading into the second half of the season, the Italian international’s future has become a topic of intense speculation. This is because Donnarumma’s current contract with AC Milan runs out at the end of the ongoing campaign with reports claiming that his agent Mino Raiola had already turned down the club’s first extension offer.
Talks over a new deal are reportedly still going on, with Milan putting forth a package worth €7 million-a-year. However, fellow Serie A clubs Inter Milan and Juventus have also made contract offers, which agent Mino Raiola is holding as leverage to get a better deal.
Now, it seems like Chelsea, too, have entered the race to sign up the 21-year-old custodian. The Blues strengthened their goalkeeping department with the signing of Edouard Mendy from Rennes last summer. The Senegalese international has been a solid addition to the ranks, despite a couple of mistakes in recent games.
However, with Kepa Arrizabalaga still pretty much out of favour and Willy Caballero in the twilight of his career, it makes sense for Frank Lampard to add another goalkeeper to the squad in the summer window. And the chance to sign someone like Donnarumma, who was on their radars last summer as well, on a free transfer is too good to pass up.
To that end, the Blues are understood to have opened talks with the Italian, now that he is free to negotiate with clubs from abroad over a pre-contract agreement for a summer move. It, however, remains to be seen if Chelsea are able to convince Donnarumma to make the switch from Lombardy to London in the coming months.
