Manchester United reportedly rejected the chance to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma after it emerged that it would cost as much as £130 million.
Manchester United closed their 2025 summer transfer dealings with the £18 million purchase of Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, hailed as one of Europe’s top young shot-stoppers.
Their total spending stands at around £215 million, potentially exceeding £240 million should all add-ons be activated.
Alongside Lammens, the club strengthened up front with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Šeško, while 18-year-old left-back Diego Leon joined earlier in July.
Departures saw Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, and Antony move on, with Alejandro Garnacho’s £40 million switch to Chelsea marking the most significant sale.
United rejected the chance to sign Donnarumma
While Lammens has stepped into the new goalkeeping role at United and is expected to compete with Altay Bayındır for the No. 1 spot, United’s summer was almost very different.
According to The Telegraph, United were offered the chance to sign former Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, but turned it down as they could not afford the operation.
Although the Italian ended up signing for City for around £26 million, PSG were demanding around £30-35 million at the time. On top of this, the goalkeeper was asking for a five-year contract worth around £17.4 million, or £330,000-a-week, which put the total cost of the deal close to £130 million.
However, later in the window, City were able to solve this problem. Granted, the negotiations were much easier for Pep Guardiola’s men as the window was approaching the deadline, so demands lowered.
City agreed on a £26 million fee for Donnarumma with PSG, then offered the player an increasing contract. He is set to earn around £250,000 a week in his first year, £268,000 a week in his second, and £285,000 a week for the final two years.
This allowed the Citizens to hand Donnarumma a contract that would increase as time went on, helping cater to his high salary demands. In contrast, United simply felt unable to commit such incredible funding to signing the shot-stopper.
United have to be budget-friendly while rebuilding
Choosing to sign Lammens late in the window instead of Donnarumma, or other-linked goalkeeper Emilliano Martínez, benefits United. It’s a potentially lower-risk signing as the financials are not as strenuous, and Lammens has the chance to grow into a fantastic No. 1 as the seasons progress.
At the same time, the lower-cost deal will allow United to have more flexible funding as they continue to improve on Amorim’s squad.
The significant financial outlay this summer was on the attack, while the midfield will be the foremost priority next summer.
With Casemiro’s contract ending and the futures of Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, and Bruno Fernandes uncertain, United will have to sign multiple new midfielders.
Decisions such as committing to lower-cost deals like Lammens, coupled with the expected transfer fees from Rasmus Højlund, Rashford, and other sales, will give United much more rope to sign their much-needed players next summer.
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