Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue. (REUTERS/Christian Hartmann)
After what can only be described as a desperately poor 2024/25 campaign — at least by their sky-high standards — Manchester City have gone full throttle in the summer rebuild.
The Etihad has seen some major departures. Kevin De Bruyne swapped Manchester for Naples, joining Napoli, while club legend Kyle Walker made the shock switch to Burnley. Rising star Savinho is now all but confirmed to be heading to Tottenham Hotspur, a loss that stings for Pep Guardiola’s future plans.
Incoming, however, has been just as dramatic.
Tijjani Reijnders arrived to fill De Bruyne’s shoes and inject box-to-box drive into midfield. Rayan Aït-Nouri joined from Wolves, bringing trickery and class on the left both in defence and attack. Playmaker Rayan Cherki has been snapped up from Lyon, while goalkeeper James Trafford returned from Burnley to compete for the No.1 spot.
And now, it seems another marquee arrival could be on the cards — one that would send shockwaves through world football.
Man City Ask About Donnarumma
Perhaps the most sensational transfer saga in the game right now involves Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Despite being one of Paris Saint-Germain’s biggest stars last season — delivering what many have called “generational” performances to help the club win a historic quadruple, including their first-ever Champions League — the Italian’s time in Paris appears to be coming to a sudden and messy end.
A dispute over his contract, combined with PSG’s signing of Lucas Chevalier from Lille, has seen Donnarumma left out of the squad for the Super Cup against the Europa League winners. All signs now point towards an imminent exit.
According to Fabrizio Romano, City have wasted no time in making their move. The club have already contacted PSG to ask about the conditions for a deal. PSG’s current asking price is around €50 million — a figure City reportedly view as too high. Any deal would also depend on the future of Ederson, who is heavily linked with a move to Galatasaray.
Landing Donnarumma would be a colossal statement — arguably signing the best goalkeeper in the world right now.
As for what it would mean for James Trafford, himself a star-in-the-making… well, that’s a headache Guardiola would probably love to have.
About the Author
