AC Milan are close to completing a deal to sign Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan, according to Sky Sports.
There seems to be a domino effect afoot regarding goalkeeper transfers this summer. The story appears to start with reports that Barcelona were ready to sell Marc-Andre ter Stegen to raise some funds as they struggle against a financial crisis caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. They would then aim to replace the German with a free agent, which is where Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma comes in.
The 22-year-old Italy international will be out of contract at the end of next month, and it was first claimed that his further stay at San Siro would depend on whether Milan manage to qualify for the Champions League or not. The Rossoneri have managed that, but agent Mino Raiola reportedly didn’t wait for the season to end before offering Donnarumma’s services to Barcelona. Milan’s interest in Maignan indicates that there could be some truth in these reports.
Be that as it may, Milan are apparently set to pay around €14 million for the services of the 25-year-old Lille shot-stopper, who would then sign a five-year deal with the seven-time European champions. There would be bonuses to come on top of the initial transfer fee.
Maignan is a product of the academy at Paris Saint-Germain, where he spent two years with the first-team squad and never made a single senior appearance, before joining Lille in 2015. But since then, he has established himself as the first choice between the posts and made a huge contribution in Lille’s stride to the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21, playing all 38 matches.
