In June 2017, then AC Milan CEO Marco Fassone called a press conference to confirm that Gianluigi Donnarumma would not be signing a contract renewal with the club.
It was a decision that sparked outrage and frustration from many Rossoneri supporters, with the Italian goalkeeper coming under fierce criticism from all quarters in the weeks that followed.
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Ultimately, a compromise was reached and a new deal signed. With the 22-year-old continuing to produce top performances and further establishing himself as a fundamental figure in the Milan side since, that particular controversy was seemingly beginning to be forgotten.
However, after signing that four-year deal at the time, it appears as though history is repeating itself as we’ve reached the end of that cycle and now the same question marks are being raised over Donnarumma’s future at Milan.
With his current deal set to expire next month, the shot-stopper still hasn’t agreed on new terms, and no further progress is expected until the end of the season as Milan continue to battle for Champions League qualification.
The fact that we’ve allowed this situation to present itself and the new chapter of the saga to rumble on for so long is a real annoyance and one that Stefano Pioli and the squad could do without at such a critical time of the campaign. In that sense, perhaps criticism should also be levelled at management for not acting sooner.
As noted by MilanNews, there is a similar strand to this story as the one in 2017 as it’s noted that Donnarumma’s priority is to stay with Milan, and a shorter-term deal could be a compromise for the two parties.
Milan are said to be refusing to budge from their offer of €8m-a-year, while Donnarumma could accept a two-year offer and so ultimately controls how the situation will end.
There is also the decisive factor of whether or not we qualify for the Champions League.
Should Milan secure a seat at Europe’s top table by finishing in the top four in Serie A this season, that arguably goes a long way to making this a much easier deal to wrap up.
Donnarumma will no doubt have ambitions of playing in the competition and winning trophies. If we can take a major step towards doing that and becoming a more competitive outfit, then it’s hoped that contract talks are much simpler once the campaign concludes and ‘Gigio’ remains with us.
Whether or not it does more damage to his reputation with some fans remains to be seen, as ultimately finding ourselves in the scenario again is a real frustration.
That said, his desire to stay is one thing, but his ambition also needs to be matched and so it’s a fair trade as we hope we’re in a position to do that later this month. If all concerned remain a little more patient for a little longer, this ongoing saga could have an ending that most, if not everyone, will be happy with.
