Barcelona have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma from AC Milan on a free transfer this summer.
According to a report by Spanish publication AS, Gianluigi Donnarumma prefers joining Barcelona if he leaves AC Milan in the summer transfer window. The 22-year-old Italian international’s agent Mino Raiola has, therefore, offered the Blaugrana the chance to snap him up on a Bosman move.
Donnnarumma raised quite a few eyebrows when he made his AC Milan first-team debut as a 16-year-old six years ago. Having been a mainstay in the Rossoneri’s senior side for half-a-dozen years now, the 22-year-old is already a veteran of sorts and one of the most experienced players in the squad.
Till date, Donnarumma has made 250 appearances for AC Milan, keeping 87 clean sheets in the process. However, the Italian international is facing an uncertain future at San Siro, seeing as his current deal runs out this summer, with little development on the renewal front. And, his next destination could well be Barcelona.
Barcelona have not had the need to sign a top class goalkeeper for a few years now, with that being the one position that has had a lot of stability around it. However, with the Catalan giants in a world of trouble on the financial front, they are having to take some desperate measures to raise some much-needed funds.
One possible way to procure funds to sign key targets and balance their books could be by selling Marc-Andre ter Stegen, as bizarrely suggested by AS. Having said that, the fact that Donnarumma, who has also been linked with Chelsea and Manchester United, will arrive on a free transfer perhaps makes the suggestion an attractive one for Barcelona.
If that indeed proves to be the case, the entire goalkeeping department could be set for an overhaul, with backup goalkeeper Neto, linked with Arsenal, set to leave on a free transfer. As far as the 22-year-old Italian international is concerned, he could be a long-term solution in goal for Barcelona, considering his best years ought to be well ahead of him.
Meanwhile, a move for Andre Onana is also being considered, with the Ajax goalkeeper possibly being a backup to Donnarumma. For now, though, the AC Milan goalkeeper has been offered to Barcelona, who could have the chance to snap him up for good if the Rossoneri miss out on a top four finish, following which he will be determined to depart San Siro as a free agent.
