Bharath Rammr
Manchester United could be facing a major threat from Juventus for goalkeeper David de Gea. The Italian club have made Gianluigi Donnarumma their main priority once Gianluigi Buffon hangs his cleats. Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world, Buffon has been of impeccable service to Juventus since joining the club in 2001. Even today, he remains as the world’s most expensive goalkeeper after having cost the club an incredible €53 million. At 39 years of age, he is coming to the end of his career. Buffon continues to play for the national team – for whom he has made more than 165 appearances since his debut in 1997.
Juventus have now identified AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as the ideal candidate to replace someone of Buffon’s stature. Considering that Buffon is not expected to announce his retirement in the next few months, he may very wEll carry on playing into the next campaign. Bringing in Donnarumma from Milan will help Juventus acclimatise the 17-year-old to life at the Italian Serie A champions. At just 17 years of age, Donnarumma is regarded as the next big thing in the world of goalkeepers. Milan are trusting the capabilities of the young goalkeeper so much that they have inserted a £45 million release clause in the player’s contract.
Donnarumma’s agent Mino Raiola is reportedly very keen on ensuring that his client makes a high profile move to Juventus. However, Milan are confident that they will be able to retain the player at all costs. Milan are certainly not in a strong position considering that the player only has just under 18 months left on his contract. Even then, according to the reports from The Sun, Juventus are prepared for all eventualities and have identified David de Gea as an alternative should they fail to sign the Milan youngster.
De Gea continues to be linked with a move away from Old Trafford. He almost seemed certain to join Real Madrid in the summer of 2015 only for the player to make a U-turn and sign a new contract with the club. His contract with United runs until the summer of 2019. There have been rumours about Madrid becoming interested in De Gea once again, but the player recently came out and said that he is happy with the club. (ESPN)
Since the departure of Iker Casillas, Madrid have not been able to find a stable player between the sticks. After impressing in his first season, Keylor Navas does not seem to have the full confidence of manager Zinedine Zidane, despite Madrid possessing one of the best defensive records in the La Liga.
Even though Juventus will not be able to match the wages provided by Madrid, the Italian club have made the 26-year-old as one of key transfer targets in the summer.
