This weekend saw Manchester United face off against one of their recent transfer targets, as Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a fantastic performance for Manchester City, helping the Citizens to win 3-0.
Unfortunately, not only was the loss a frustrating result for United, but it was a little harder for swallow given that they could have been the side with Donnarumma between the sticks after being linked to the Italian keeper throughout the summer.
The Red Devils were in the market for a new keeper as concerns over Andre Onana’s suitability to continue as first-choice goalkeeper arose, ultimately seeing the Cameroon international head on loan to Trabzonspor, with United signing Senne Lammens in his place.
However, alongside Lammens, Donnarumma was a strong candidate, as was Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has explained why the deal never came off. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano explained: “Why Man United didn’t sign Donnarumma?”
He continued: “Man United 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 United 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 summer 2026 otherwise he was going to cost way more than this.
“Well Man United, apart from the transfer fee, didn’t want to spend big money on a salary. Because of the financial fairplay situation (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 for Gianluigi Donnarumma. That was a decision; it was part of the strategy.”
Previously it was reported that Donnarumma’s wage demands were “astronomical”, so walking away from the deal fits with the INEOS approach of trying to limit spending, with the club prioritising the sales of their top earners who are unwanted under Ruben Amorim, such as Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
Ultimately though, United signed Lammens instead for £18 million, however there’s no doubt, especially after Donnarumma’s performance in the derby, that the Italian keeper would have made an instant impact at Old Trafford had things been different.
