Manchester United have not had “any significant talks” about signing Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, according to talkSPORT reporter Ben Jacobs.
Speaking to The United Stand YouTube channel, Jacobs made it clear that the Red Devils are not actively pursuing a deal for the Italian international.
“My understanding is it’s a ‘Donna rumour’ in the rumour sense and there’s not actually that much in this… We hear about talks and interest from Manchester United. He’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world. So I think lots of clubs like him, but I still wouldn’t rule out, speaking to PSG sources, after all of this noise, Donnarumma signing a new contract with Paris-Saint-Germain even with [Lucas] Chevalier coming into the French champions.”
“Regarding Man United talks, regarding Galatasaray as well, I asked people close to the Donnarumma side yesterday, and I was told there was very little in it. It was described as rumor and noise and there was no confirmation of any direct and formal talks between either Manchester United or Galatasaray with Donnarumma, so I think what’s probably happening here is Donnarumma naturally is appreciated by many, and it helps Donnarumma to generate a fair amount of interest, and even maybe in some informal way look and see what’s there in the market.”
Donnarumma is angling for a new contract
It should be pointed out that the keeper has less than a year remaining on his current deal at PSG, and he rejected an extension from the European champions after he was offered less than what he is currently earning.
Jacobs believes the links to United and other clubs is most likely due to agent talk. They are trying to generate interest in Donnarumma in order to put pressure on PSG to give him a better deal:
“We’ve heard him linked in the past with Chelsea, with Manchester City, and several others. Obviously, James Trafford’s now gone to Man City, but before then, I think this is all about leverage [for a new contract]. It’s all about market research.”
“It’s all about seeing what’s out there in a very informal sense, likely through intermediaries, only then to return to PSG with a little bit of leverage. And I think, after all of this, it still wouldn’t surprise me if Donnarumma ends up signing a new deal at PSG. But nothing really to add on the Manchester United front. I went to some sources on the Donnarumma side, and my understanding is that Manchester United haven’t held any significant talks with Donnarumma yet.”
Are Man United still in the market for a new No.1?
The Red Devils have been looking at goalkeepers. They tabled a loan offer for Emi Martinez which was swiftly knocked back by Aston Villa, and they held preliminary talks about signing Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp.
However, at the moment, it appears as if Ruben Amorim’s side will head into the new season with Andre Onana as their first-choice. The Cameroon international is now expected to be fit for the opening game against Arsenal.
Read more about the Manchester United First Team Squad for 2025/26 here
David Tully
David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World’s Football News Network.
