Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United rejected the opportunity to sign Italian shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
According to a report from TBR, Manchester United had a realistic chance of signing Gianluigi Donnarumma this summer. The AC Milan graduate could have become their new number one, but instead, he ended up joining arch-rivals Manchester City.
While United had the opportunity to sign the Italian goalkeeper, they turned it down due to the massive cost involved. The transfer fee wasn’t a major issue, but his arrival would have significantly impacted their wage bill.
Despite their financial struggles, United went on to fork out £232.4 million in the transfer window to bolster Ruben Amorim’s squad. Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted to ensure the Portuguese manager had the players he needed to properly implement his style of football.
While they were quick to address the issues in the final third, the goalkeeping position was a major question mark until deadline day. Andre Onana was no longer the preferred choice in goal, and Amorim was on the lookout for someone who could take over as their number one.
With Donnarumma set to leave PSG, United had the opportunity to sign one of the best goalkeepers in the world. While they were interested in his signature, a deal never materialised, and it might have a lot to do with the total cost of the operation.
The Red Devils could have afforded the move, but they chose not to disrupt their wage structure. In the end, the 26-year-old joined their noisy neighbours, Manchester City.
Donnarumma would have disrupted United’s wages
While speaking to TBR about the finances involved in Donnarumma’s move, GRV Media’s Head of Football Finance and Governance Content, Adam Williams, said:
“At Paris Saint-Germain, where Donnarumma would have signed from, it’s going to be even more extreme. The accounts show that they have the highest wage bill in the world at around £570m. If, say, 70 per cent of that is related to the first team, that’s £399m. Split that between 30 players and it gives you an average weekly wage of nearly £260,000.
“Donnarumma is going to be at the very top end of the structure as one of their galacticos. So it’s very safe to assume he will have earned at least £450,000 per week. Whether he is commanding a salary like that at City, I don’t know. The reports say it’s £13m annually, but I think that could be what he earns in net terms, before tax and so on. It’s probably going to be close to £500,000 per week, in truth.
“Could United have stretched to that? I think they could have done, but whether they should have done is another question. I think there’s a case to say that Alexis Sanchez is the worst signing in Premier League history in terms of what he did to United’s wage structure. Ineos have said they want to move to a more incentivised contract model, where players aren’t rewarded for sub-par performances. So to commit nearly £25m-a-year on one player – which is £125m over the course of a five-year deal – would have been very bold.
“With PSR and cash flow, I think they could have done it, but it’s a question of strategy more than anything. Those are Cristiano Ronaldo-level wages, after all.”
While it was financially possible for United to sign the former PSG shot-stopper, they have made significant changes to their wage structure in recent seasons, and his arrival would have certainly disrupted that.
The club has shifted to a more incentivised contract model and wasn’t keen on committing to £25 million per year in wages for a single player. As a result, they let the opportunity slip and instead opted to sign Senne Lammens, a promising young Belgian prospect.
The 23-year-old is expected to be United’s new number one going forward. Meanwhile, with Lammens coming in, Onana is expected to leave the club in the coming days.