Manchester City have reached an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma, 26, for €25m plus bonuses, a fee regarded as low considering his quality as a goalkeeper. The move was confirmed by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The Italian, who was voted player of the tournament at Euro 2021, will pen a five-year contract with the English champions and will have medicals on Monday. He is to move to Pep Guardiola's team in the coming days and play a gargantuan role, taking the place of Ederson, who had been with City for seven years and was one of the stars of the club's most successful time.
The bitter exit at PSG and the decision to leave
Donnarumma arrives in England after having known the highs and lows of his time in Paris. He signed on a free transfer in 2021 when his Milan contract expired, and he was under contract at PSG until 2026. He appeared in 161 games over four years and accrued ten accolades. Statistically, on paper, those numbers place him among the most successful goalkeepers in the recent history of the club. That notwithstanding, his experience took a turn for the worse.
There had been whispers of a new deal, but not a contract signed. PSG knew he could leave for nothing in a year's time, so decided to sell him now and receive some compensation in return. It was a reasonable thing to do, but one that also exposed an issue the club has struggled with: how to handle big names who no longer fit. Donnarumma became the ultimate realization of that. A good goalkeeper, but never the one who fully won over the fans and never quite seemed to fit into a defined vision of a future in Paris.
From the player's perspective, the transfer makes sense. The Premier League offers exposure and competition that no league today can match. City did need to fill an immediate vacancy, however. The coincidence of interests accelerated the process. Still, it is fair to point out that he has a habit of leaving clubs in disarray.
The issue of being Guardiola's goalkeeper
Donnarumma signing for City is telling. He excels in a role in a team that not only succeeds, but demands an incredibly precise style from every position. And that is the rub. Donnarumma is not exactly renowned for holding a ball at his feet. To my eye, this has always been his biggest weakness as a player. For Guardiola, however, that is almost unacceptable. At City, the goalkeeper does not just save. He sets plays in motion, helps in possession, and plays a key role in breaking up opposition pressure.
The comparison to Ederson is unavoidable. The Brazilian transformed the goalkeeping role at City. His long balls ripped through defenses and created attacks in seconds. He even picked out teammates for assists.
That means Donnarumma will need to reinvent. Good on the line isn't enough. If he can't adapt his game with the ball at his feet, he'll be a issue for Guardiola as well. City can play around the system to protect him, but that would alter the team's personality. That's why this transfer is clouded in uncertainty, because the issue is whether Donnarumma can really adapt to the kind of play that Guardiola does.