Gianluigi Donnarumma is willing to sit on the sidelines for six months if he can’t secure the right move away from Paris Saint-Germain this summer, reports in France state.
There is less than a week left of the transfer window for Europe’s top leagues and time is running out for the exiled Italian goalkeeper. PSG manager Luis Enrique has made it abundantly clear that there is no spot in the squad for his former first-choice shot-stopper, sanctioning the recent arrival of Lucas Chevalier as his replacement.
Once Manchester United and Chelsea dropped out of the race to capitalise upon this wildly unexpected turn of events, Manchester City emerged as the frontrunners for Donnarumma’s signature.
Pep Guardiola’s side have reportedly agreed personal terms with the revered custodian, yet discussions with PSG over a suitable transfer fee have not been so smooth.
The European champions are thought to have lowered their asking price in an attempt to rid themselves of arguably the world’s best goalkeeper, with various reports suggesting that PSG would be willing to accept as little as €30 million (£25.9 million, $34.9 million) for a player with just one year remaining on his contract.
City, however, are prepared to play hard ball. L’Équipe claim that the Premier League outfit are mulling over a €15 million bid, which is too far from PSG’s asking price for the increasingly desperate French giants to accept.
Donnarumma is not thought to be flustered by this turn of events. The same report describes the 26-year-old as “ready” to stay in Paris until the January transfer window opens. If the window closes on Sep. 1 with Donnarumma still on PSG’s books, it will be intriguing to see how Enrique handles the situation.
After an initial edge to the public comments surrounding Donnarumma’s exile—the player’s agent threatened legal action at one point—there appears to have been a cooling of tension. Donnarumma was warmly waved off by the Parc des Princes last Friday following PSG’s first home game of the season.
READ THE LATEST TRANSFER NEWS AND RUMORS FROM WORLD SOCCER
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Man City Target Gianluigi Donnarumma ‘Ready’ to Take Drastic Action.