Report: Donnarumma to sign new Milan contract; potential €100M release clause
Weeks after rejecting AC Milan's initial offer of a new five-year contract, teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma agreed to terms on a similar deal worth €6 million a season, according to Sky Sport Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio and Fabrizio Romano.
Should Milan fail to qualify for the 2018-19 Champions League, Donnarumma's release clause would default to €50 million. However, Romano and Di Marzio understand it would rise to €100 million if the Rossoneri do make Europe's premier competition.
In the process of accepting Milan's proposal, the 18-year-old reportedly turned down the opportunity to join Paris Saint-Germain on a ridiculous €13-million-a-year contract.
Donnarumma's new agreement still represents a massive pay raise. Entering last season, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported he was on a yearly wage of just €160,000.
When the club announced on June 15 that Donnarumma had decided not to renew his current contract, which expires next summer, supporters of the seven-time European champion erupted in anger.
Aggrieved fans believed Donnarumma - who on more than one occasion kissed Milan's badge - simply sought more money at the behest of his agent, the notorious Mino Raiola.
Despite the unrest at his childhood club, Donnarumma travelled with Italy to the European Under-21 Championship in Poland. During the Azzurini's opening match, bitter Milan supporters behind Donnarumma's goal showered the shot-stopper with fake money.
Raiola then used the Italian media to wage a bitter war with Milan, claiming the club had bullied and threatened his client and his family. There were suggestions Milan could bench Donnarumma for the entire 2018-19 campaign as punishment.
In response, CEO Marco Fassone refuted the allegations and said he would welcome back Donnarumma with "open arms," signalling hope that negotiations could start up again.
The youngster kept quiet until June 25, when he pledged his allegiance to Raiola in an incendiary tweet that inflamed tensions. Donnarumma then took to Instagram to apologise for the furor his tweet caused and to reiterate his love for Milan.
He later deleted his message after revealing his account was hacked - an account many dispute.
As Italy exited the U-21 Euros at the semi-final stage, the Italian press seemed to believe Donnarumma had a change of heart and indeed wanted to re-sign with the 18-time Serie A champion.
Now, according to two of Italy's most trustworthy football reporters, this dramatic story appears to have a happy ending.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)