Just a few days before the season began, figures close to Gianluigi Donnarumma felt a deal for Manchester United was on the table, with the player keen. There was soon one obstacle that Donnarumma’s camp may not have expected. United didn’t want to go over a contract of £200,000 a week. The goalkeeper’s representatives were understood to be asking for more than double that.
Just hours before the deadline closed, then, City were willing to pay what it took. The move has surprised a lot of people in football, from the abrupt nature of the signing to the fact that Pep Guardiola has demanded ball-playing goalkeepers as an article of faith.
