Gianluigi Donnarumma has been linked with a late summer move to Manchester City.placeholder image
Gianluigi Donnarumma has been linked with a late summer move to Manchester City. | Getty Images
Manchester City have been linked with a last gasp move for a 74-time international
Manchester City are more likely to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma than persist with James Trafford in goal this season, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
Pep Guardiola’s title-chasing side agreed to re-sign James Trafford from Burnley for a reported £27m earlier this summer. The academy graduate spent two years at Turf Moor and suffered one relegation and one promotion during a roller coaster period in Lancashire. Trafford, who came through the ranks at the Etihad without ever making a single first team appearance during his first spell at City, made his long-awaited debut in a thumping 4-0 victory over Wolves as the team made the perfect start to the new Premier League season.
The England international was picked ahead of long-serving goalkeeper Ederson once again on matchday two against Tottenham Hotspur, but made a clear error leading to one of the goals and was criticised for a nervy performance in what could prove a costly 90 minutes for the 22-year-old, who won Championship Player of the Year last term.
Will James Trafford remain in goal for Man City?
Several pundits, including Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jill Scott, Ian Wright and Jamie Carragher all debated whether James Trafford deserved to stay in between the posts for the remainder of the campaign despite only having one underwhelming performance. Commenting on speculation, Scott said on The Overlap: “You can’t drop him for something the manager has obviously asked him to do in those patterns of play. To drop him would be so harsh, he’s got to go through those mistakes to get better and understand those patterns.”
Carragher, however, disagreed, he explained: “They can’t afford to just have a project and stick with him for two, three months. If he keeps making mistakes they’ll be 10 points behind in the title race.”
“I look at him and he realises how big it is for him,” said Neville. “And I can see it in his eyes, he has that bit of trepidation and I feel sorry for goalkeepers when they're like that. I just question if he is really ready for this. He’s obviously ready for the Premier League but is he ready for this?”
Keane and Neville, however, did both agree that they’d stick by Trafford. Carragher, on the other hand, argued: “Trafford’s not winning you the league. No chance.”
Gianluigi Donnarumma to Manchester City latest
Fabrizio Romano has given Manchester City a 60% chance of signing Gianluigi Donnarumma from PSG before the window closes. The Italian international has refused a new deal at the Parc Des Princes and is likely to leave for a cut-price fee this summer as the club look to avoid losing him on a free transfer.
PSG have already replaced the former AC Milan shot-stopper with Lucas Chevalier from Lille and are believed to be shifting towards a goalkeeper that’s better with their feet due to Luis Enrique’s style of play.
Donnarumma is a Champions League winner. He played a pivotal role in his side’s progression throughout the competition “As always, Donnarumma was excellent. I don’t know what to say, he is a great goalkeeper and also an extraordinary person off the pitch,” said Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after a quarter-final triumph over Aston Villa. The goalkeeper is also a former European Championship winner, a Ligue 1 winner and arguably at 26-years-of-age one of the best in world football. He’s thought to be available for around £30m but it’s not a straight forward deal.
For starters, Ederson is still on the books at City amid speculation linking him with a switch to Galatasaray.
“I’m still optimistic for the deal to happen. So my percentage is sixty per cent, sixty because between Donnarumma and City is a hundred per cent because he wants to go there. The contract is ready,” Romano told DAZN, via Manchester City News.
“Between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain is probably ninety per cent because it’s just about small details, the agreement on the transfer fee is around €30m-€35m, which is very close. What’s needed is Ederson to leave Manchester City in order for Donnarumma to leave the club.”
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