There were some Chelsea fans who were left fuming that their side didn’t make a move to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma over the summer, however the club’s plans have now been revealed.
The Italian moved to Manchester City for just £26m, and has already proven himself as one of the best shot stoppers in the Premier League.
Chelsea were reported as interested in Donnarumma straight after they defeated his former side, PSG, in the Club World Cup final to finish the season in style.
Many were left shocked Chelsea didn’t push on with Donnarumma interest, and instead have gone into the new season with the same goalkeeper options of Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen.
Gianluigi Donnarumma looks on during AS Monaco v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2
Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images
Chelsea didn’t sign Gianluigi Donnarumma because they think Mike Maignan is joining
There was frustration at the Blues that they hadn’t addressed the position which many believed was the number one priority after last season, with Mike Maignan not joining the club either.
However, Dean Jones has stated that Chelsea’s lack of interest in Donnarumma comes as a result of their belief that they will complete a deal for Maignan next year, when his contract comes to an end.
He said: “Chelsea very quickly were like, we’re not involved in this (the Donnarumma race). We’re not, we’re not, we’re not here. And I was like, why aren’t you though? Why are you not in this conversation?
“And I’m led to believe that part of it is because if they do sign another goalkeeper, then they think it’ll be Maignan, and they think that this is going to open up again in 2026, and they would rather wait for that, than have done Donnarumma kind of on the spur of the moment then when it hadn’t been part of their thinking, and they would just kind of make a knee-jerk signing.
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“I know this sounds a bit ridiculous, but Donnarumma would have broken Chelsea’s wage structure, which is a bit of a strange one, because obviously there’s a lot of people on long contracts, but actually one of the kind of real positives of this Chelsea collective, in terms of the boardroom, has been bringing down wages.”
Mike Maignan looks on ahead of Spain v France - UEFA Nations League 2025 Semi-final
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Chelsea missed out on Maignan last summer
Before the Club World Cup even got underway, Chelsea were reportedly very close to signing Maignan, however couldn’t come to an agreement on a price for a player with a year left on his deal.
The signing was always threatening to go against the plan put in place by Todd Boehly and co, with him not being a young and promising opportunistic signing.
Soon though, the prospect of a free signing emerged, and it was clear last summer that Maignan was keen on a Chelsea move.
It could be the perfect signing for the Blues, who are waiting for Mike Penders to develop his skills and be ready to make his mark on the first team squad.