Man City ‘keeper Donnarumma says would have stayed at PSG

Gianluigi Donnarumma conveyed to AFP on Monday that he would have preferred to remain at Paris Saint-Germain prior to his unexpected move to Manchester City this month.

Donnarumma, who received the best goalkeeper accolade at the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday due to his pivotal contribution to PSG’s Champions League success in the previous season, responded affirmatively when prompted about his desire to continue with the team.

“It’s tough to leave when you’ve formed strong bonds and spent significant time with people,” he acknowledged.

At 26 years old, Donnarumma was given permission to depart following PSG’s acquisition of French keeper Lucas Chevalier this summer.

The Italian goalkeeper entered into a five-year contract with Pep Guardiola’s City after transferring in a deal valued at £26 million ($35 million).

He expressed that City is “an exceptional club with remarkable players who embraced me like family, which means a lot to me.”

Donnarumma earned the Yashin award for the second time on Monday and expressed gratitude to his previous PSG teammates for their contributions to his outstanding season.

“This is amazing; kudos to the entire team, without them I wouldn’t be here, it’s truly a collective effort,” he stated.

He had also won this honor in 2021 following Italy's victory in the European Championship.