Gianluigi Donnarumma claimed that he learned of Manchester City’s interest in him as early as before this summer’s Club World Cup.
The former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper had crept into the final year of his contract in the French capital shortly after lifting the Champions League trophy in May. It was widely expected that Donnarumma, who had enjoyed the best senior of his senior career, would extend his existing deal.
According to the Italy captain’s agent, negotiations remained positive heading into the Club World Cup. Donnarumma helped the European champions make it to the final on July 13 and the player’s representative claims that the mood didn’t shift until the start of August.
As PSG’s recruitment advisor Luis Campos recently revealed, Donnarumma’s salary demands did not fit the new wage policy introduced in Paris.
When it became apparent that Luis Enrique had deemed his formerly undisputed No. 1 as surplus to requirements, City pounced, eventually agreeing a deal worth £26 million ($35.5 million).
Donnarumma shed some more light on one of the more unexpected transfer sagas of the summer, revealing that City’s interest stretched back far further than had previously been established.
“Before the summer, I already knew that City were very interested in me,” Donnarumma told his press conference ahead of his first Champions League appearance as a City player.
“Then the relationship strengthened after the Club World Cup. I learned that the coach was pushing for my arrival here, and this made me very proud. That’s also why I didn’t hesitate to accept coming here with great joy and enthusiasm.
“I was very clear: my desire was to come here, it was my first and only option,” Donnarumma insisted after a summer littered with talk of rival Premier League interest from Manchester United and Chelsea.
“I’m not thinking about the future; I’ve already said what I think about being here. I’m happy to be at City and to be part of this great team. I hope to contribute a lot to these colours for many years to come.”
“I thank the coach,” Donnarumma said of Pep Guardiola. “It’s an honour for me to be here and to be coached by him, who has written football history. I still have a lot to learn and improve; that’s my goal.”
When the topic of his former employers at PSG was raised, he reluctantly said: “I don’t like to talk about the past. People make their own choices, and that’s part of football. I wish my former teammates the best because they deserve it; I have a great relationship with them. Even when they learned I was leaving, they showed me great affection; it’s nice to have left something important behind for my teammates. I won’t talk about other choices; I’m just happy to be here.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘I Learned’—Gianluigi Donnarumma Drops Surprise Man City Transfer Revelation.
