Gianluigi Donnarumma Could Leave AC Milan for Just £35M This Summer

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is reportedly set to leave AC Milan this summer should the club fail to qualify for the Champions League. 

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Calciomercato), the 19-year-old has a £35 million release clause in his contract that can be activated this summer should Milan finish outside the the top four in Serie A—something that looks increasingly likely despite the club's recent progress under Gennaro Gattuso. They are five points behind rivals Inter Milan in fourth with 10 games left to play.

Gazzetta said the player's agent, Mino Raiola, will seek a transfer for his client should Milan miss out on Europe's premier club competition. The news, coupled with the relatively low price tag, will likely put a number of top clubs on red alert.

Luca Bruno/Associated Press

Juventus are rumoured to be interested in signing Donnarumma as a replacement for the retiring Gianluigi Buffon, and the Italy legend has previously thrown his support behind the idea, saying in January that "if he comes to Juventus, he's never wrong," per La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Dom Farrell for Goal).

Other interested clubs include Chelsea, per Mundo Deportivo (h/t Goal), and Paris Saint-Germain, per AS (h/t Duncan Wright for the Sun).

Donnarumma's future at AC Milan has long been unstable. In December 2017, Raiola reportedly wanted the young goalkeeper's contract, signed in July that year, to be cancelled on grounds the player felt pressured into signing the extension, per Corriere della Sera (h/t Mario de la Riva for AS).

Sine then, the 19-year-old has reaffirmed his commitment to the club, but it now looks as though he could leave for a cut-price fee in the summer after all.

Donnarumma has played every minute of AC Milan's Serie A season and is expected to develop into one of the best goalkeepers in the world. At just £35 million, Donnarumma would be a superb investment for any club; there is no doubt he would immediately have a resale value far higher than that figure.

For now, the 19-year-old will have to remain focused on the domestic campaign. AC Milan are on a run of five consecutive wins in Serie A, which means a top-four finish is still plausible. For both the club's owners and players, avoiding triggering Donnarumma's release clause will surely be extra motivation for chasing down the Champions League places.