Revealed: Why Manchester City rejected chance to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma from AC Milan in 2017 | OneFootball

Manchester City passed up on the opportunity to sign a teenage Gianluigi Donnarumma back in 2017, prior to signing Ederson from Benfica.

Donnarumma joined City on the final day of the recent window for £26 million after a public fallout with Paris Saint-Germain, who refused to meet the Italy international’s wage demands over a new deal and replaced him with Lucas Chevalier from Lille.

City entered the summer transfer window with major uncertainty looming over the future of long-serving first-choice goalkeeper Ederson, who was entering the final year of his contract and wanted a new challenge after eight seasons in England.

After securing the return of academy graduate James Trafford from Burnley for £27 million in July, City told backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno that he was free to leave the club as club executives awaited a resolution on Ederson’s future.

Having failed to engineer a transfer to Saudi Arabia in 2023, Ederson was keen on beginning a new chapter as he entered the final year of his Manchester City contract, having spent the best years of his professional career in England.

Manchester City beginned the 2025-26 season with Ederson part of Pep Guardiola’s plans, though it was Trafford who guarded the goal in City’s first three Premier League games against Wolves, Tottenham and Brighton.

However, Ederson was allowed to travel to Turkey to complete a desired transfer to Fenerbahce on deadline day – 24 hours after Manchester City’s 2-1 loss to Brighton – after a deal was agreed between the clubs for the Brazil international for £12.1 million.

City have agreed personal terms with Donnarumma in the weeks leading to deadline day and as Ederson was allowed to leave, club executives accelerated their pursuit of Donnarumma and completed a £26 million deal with Paris Saint-Germain for the Italy international.

Donnarumma has made a blistering start to life in Manchester and the 2020 European Championship winner’s save to thwart Manchester United’s Bryan Mbuemo on his Premier League debut was voted the Premier League Save of the Month for September this week.

As part of a wide-ranging piece answering the biggest questions from Manchester City fans, MailSport’s Jack Gaughan has been quizzed on why the club passed up on the opportunity to pursue signing Donnarumma from AC Milan as a teenager.

“Money, basically,” Gaughan wrote. “And the amount of money AC Milan wanted for an 18-year-old (albeit an 18-year-old with two full seasons at one of the biggest clubs in the world under his belt) was considered extortionate.”

The Manchester City reporter added: “Although there may be some scepticism about that from some sections of the fanbase, that City ended up splashing £35 million on Ederson, the second most expensive transfer of a goalkeeper at the time, would suggest that Milan’s demands were eye-watering.”

Guardiola and several members of the Manchester City leadership group have lauded Donnarumma for his seemingly effortless integration into the first-team ranks at the Etihad Stadium, having given a much-needed lift in experience and title-winning mindset since his sensational eleventh-hour arrival to the Etihad Stadium.