Gianluigi Donnarumma stood out on his debut in the Manchester derby.placeholder image
Gianluigi Donnarumma stood out on his debut in the Manchester derby. | Getty Images
Manchester United could have had the chance to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma over the summer
The Manchester derby on Sunday clearly reinforced the gulf which currently exists between the Blue and Red sides of the city, as Manchester United were emphatically beaten at the Etihad Stadium.
The greatest difference in reality between the sides came in goal, though. While European champion with club and country Gianluigi Donnarumma made his debut for City in one of the biggest games of all, United’s new shot-stopper Senne Lammens was not trusted for the occasion as Altay Bayindir remained in goal.
Bayindir has been a capable No.2 at Old Trafford and was not directly at fault for any of the three goals on the day, but the truth is that he was never brought in to start in a game of this magnitude. But with the exile of Andre Onana to Turkey and Lammens not viewed as ready, there was Bayindir, starting at the Etihad.
Real reason revealed why Donnarumma went to City over United
It became clear that the 26-year-old Italy international was going to be forced out of PSG when the Champions League winners targeted Lucas Chevalier, whom they signed on August 9. With a move to the Premier League emerging as a distinct possibility, three main teams began to be speculated with a move for Donnarumma: City, United and Chelsea.
While Chelsea were more interested in signing Alejandro Garnacho than upgrading on the questionable Robert Sanchez in goal, it has been revealed by Fabrizio Romano that the greatest drawback for the Red Devils was in fact Donnarumma’s wages. He eventually signed for City for just £30million.
As a club who have offered significant wage packets to unworthy players over recent years, this news will come as a major blow to United fans. Particularly when the Italian extended all of his huge frame to deny Bryan Mbeumo with a world-class save in the second half.
‘Part of the strategy’ - United’s stance on Donnarumma revealed
Romano said on his YouTube channel: “Why Man Utd didn’t sign Donnarumma? Man Utd considered the possibility, there was a call with the agents of Donnarumma in July to understand the situation, but never a negotiation, never an official bid and never anything concrete.
“Man Utd believed that despite the transfer fee – €30m plus €5m in add-ons – so not big money, but don’t forget the player was obviously out of contract in 2026 otherwise he was going to cost way more than this.
“Well Man Utd, apart from the transfer fee, didn’t want to spend big money on a salary. Because of the FFP situation, because of the salary structure they have, because of what they’re doing in terms of salary internally at the club.
“So they didn’t want to spend big money in terms of salary on Donnarumma. That was a decision, it was part of the strategy.”
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