AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma celebrates. (Getty Images)
According to Tuttosport (h/t ESPN), Premier League side Chelsea are keen on landing AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Chelsea led by coach Frank Lampard are on the lookout for a new keeper as a replacement for their out of favour man Kepa Arrizabalaga. The Blues No.1 keeper has been far from impressive this season, forcing Lampard to search for new options ahead of next season (h/t ESPN).
A series of blunders saw Kepa being axed from the side for four consecutive Premier League games and replaced by Willy Caballero. However, the 25-year-old Spaniard returned to the first-team line-up in their wins against Liverpool and Everton at home.
With the goalkeeping department turning out into a problem position in recent days, Lampard has now turned his attention to AC Milan custodian Donnarumma (h/t ESPN). The Italian goalkeeper has been a regular first-choice for the Rossoneri for the last couple of years and is one of the highly-rated keepers in Italy at the moment.
Donnarumma’s mere numbers are a testament to his dominance in the Serie A. With 10 clean sheets from 24 league outings, the 21-year-old is atop the list of Serie A goalkeepers with the maximum number of shut-outs.
Despite his club’s poor performance in recent years, Donnarumma has been a mainstay at the back for Milan. He is the second-youngest goalkeeper ever to debut in Serie A, aged 16 years and 242 days.
Since making his debut back in the 2015-16 season, the £47m-rated goalkeeper has been the side’s regular first-choice man, speaking volumes about his consistency.
With Kepa failing to convince Lampard after his mishaps in the season, young Donnarumma seems like an excellent fit at Stamford Bridge. Despite his young age, Donnarumma has been an excellent performer, managing more than 10 clean sheets every season since his debut campaign five years back.
Kepa, who arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2018 from Athletic Bilbao for a sum of around £71m has managed just six clean sheets this season. Moreover, he has conceded 32 goals in 25 league matches. For a goalkeeper of a team aiming to challenge for the title, this is not good enough.
The Blues also lack depth in the department with 38-year-old Caballero being the only back-up option. Hence, Chelsea’s interest in Donnarumma makes perfect sense.
Chelsea have just two goalkeepers in their mix and main-man Kepa has been hugely unimpressive this season. That said, roping in the in-form Donnarumma seems like the best option at the moment. Moreover, he is still young and would represent a long-term solution for the Blues. Hence, Chelsea should sign him sooner rather than later.
