According to Fabrizio Romano, AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma will sign a contract with Paris Saint-Germain until 2026. With that being said, Romano also mentions that Navas will remain in Paris. Both options are world-class, making the selection for Mauricio Pochettino as good (or even better) than any other club in Europe, but it remains to be seen who will take over as the team’s true number one option.
Gianluigi Donnarumma Compared With Keylor Navas
The Case for Gianluigi Donnarumma
The Italian starlet has been starting for AC Milan since he was 16-years-old. Now he’s 22, but with years of experience under his belt. Even more than that, he has featured as the Milan captain on several occasions. Milan haven’t been up to par in recent years, but it certainly still takes a strong command of leadership to lead such a historic club.
Donnarumma is a physical marvel. Not only is he tall, but his wingspan allows him to reach all four corners of the goal. That already makes him special, but his reflexes are seemingly second to none as well. In 37 appearances last season, he conceded 38 goals but kept 14 clean sheets. Milan’s defence was tight and solid, but nothing overly spectacular on paper.
Donnarumma saved the squad time and time again, and any highlight reel will show that. He truly is a freak of nature in the best way, and his age will not squander any opportunity to start for PSG. It’s hard to imagine such a talent, already in his prime, to only feature in select matches such as cup matches. A strong Euro 2020 showing can help the Italian cement PSG’s starting role.
The Case for Keylor Navas
The top benefit for Navas is that he was the club’s starter last season, making him the most experienced option in this case. Last season in Ligue 1, he conceded just 18 goals and help 16 clean sheets in 29 matches. Those weren’t the best in the league (Mike Maignan held that honour), but are still quite marvellous.
PSG did not win Ligue 1, which is a major disappointment to their standards. Although this is the case, it’s clear PSG’s top goal and priority is winning the Champions League. Navas was their first choice in the competition last season, and he also has several fantastic seasons of Champions League play under his belt.
Navas is now 34-years-old, or 12 years older than Donnarumma. The Costa Rican, however, is still one of the better goalkeepers in Europe. If it takes Donnarumma some time to adjust, then Navas will be the clear favourite for the starting role. Donnarumma comes in as the flashy new signing, but Navas is more than capable of holding down the fort.
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