You know that the football world has gone mad when agents start quoting £119m for 16 year old goalkeepers! But that is what super agent Mino Raiola has done in relation to one of his clients, after links with Manchester United, among others.
Italian Media Outlet, Mediaset Premium, quotes Raiola as saying:
“I liken it to a Modigliani. Worth 170 million. Has a great future, he is an amazing guy”
The report comes via The BBC, who say:
AC Milan’s 16-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who is understood to have impressed Manchester United and Chelsea, is worth £119m, according to his agent Mino Raiola.
We all know that clubs now put prohibitively high clauses in the contracts of their young stars now, not necessarily to warn suitors off so much as to set the bar high for any potential transfer.
Of course he would never be sold for that amount but it shows that the selling club will not let the player go cheaply in the face of the huge financial resources that clubs like Manchester United have.
And Manchester United may be in the market for a keeper again soon.
There is still uncertainty over the future of David de Gea.
Despite him signing a new contract at the start of the season there is still a sense that he could end up joining Real Madrid next summer.
But United would replace him with a seasoned stopper like Hugo Lloris and certainly not some upstart with a ridiculous 8 figure fee around his neck.
For the record, Gianluigi Donnarumma is an Italy U17 international who has already played 5 times for Milan and is now regarded as their third choice keeper in the senior side.
Let’s have a lot at him in his senior debut against Real Madrid no less.
