Successor already chosen: Will Donnarumma leave PSG in the summer?
Gianluigi Donnarumma's (26) contract with Paris St. Germain expires in just under a year. The Champions League winner has apparently already reached an agreement with a potential successor.
Hasn't yet reached an agreement with PSG: Gianluigi Donnarumma. IMAGO/NurPhoto
Things have actually been relatively quiet at Paris St. Germain since losing the Club World Cup final to Chelsea. Training for the Champions League winners doesn't start until August 6, and the summer's big signings in an already seemingly complete squad seemed elusive. But for the past few days, the big name of the transfer window has been making its way into the media: Gianluigi Donnarumma .
The Italian goalkeeper, who played a key role in the Parisians' path to their first Champions League title , could potentially leave the club this summer. His contract expires in 2026, and talks about an extension have apparently been stalled for several months—and are said to have made no significant progress since the end of the Club World Cup.
Now, a report from the sports newspaper L'Equipe has added new urgency to the case: According to the report, PSG is already in concrete talks with Lucas Chevalier , goalkeeper of league rivals Lille OSC, and has reportedly already agreed on a five-year contract with the 23-year-old reserve goalkeeper for the French national team. Negotiations with Chevalier's club from the north of the country are still pending; Lille is reportedly demanding at least €40 million for the homegrown player, who was voted Ligue 1's best goalkeeper after last season—even ahead of Donnarumma.
For him, the news means that PSG may indeed be unwilling to meet his demands. The contract model proposed by PSG, with a fixed salary and a variable component based, among other things, on the number of games played, is said to be unsuitable for Donnarumma and his agent Enzo Raiola. However, this condition is likely to become a sticking point in the talks surrounding a still possible, but increasingly unlikely, extension.
Donnarumma can only leave when Chevalier is thereAlthough Raiola has repeatedly emphasized in recent months that Donnarumma is very happy in Paris and is seeking an extension, he recently demanded a reasonable offer in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport , arguing that Donnarumma is "the best goalkeeper in the world" and the favorite for the Ballon d'Or. "Without his saves against Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Arsenal, PSG would never have won the Champions League."
According to the report, PSG will not be willing to let go of Donnarumma until the deal with Chevalier is finalized. However, once an agreement is reached with Lille, things could move quickly. The French capital club wants to avoid a second Kylian Mbappé , whom PSG had to let leave for Real Madrid on a free transfer after the end of his contract, at all costs. However, the club could only generate a transfer fee this summer – and that would most likely come from England. Manchester United and Manchester City are said to have expressed interest in the goalkeeper – the outcome is open to debate.
