"The Premier League process remains ongoing," Manchester City said as the fallout from the reported guilty verdict spread into the transfer market. The case concerns 114 of the 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules, and City say they intend to appeal and maintain their innocence. That uncertainty has quickly pushed Gianluigi Donnarumma into the centre of the conversation, with Real Madrid and Manchester United both being mentioned.

City's stance and the Donnarumma link

City were reportedly made aware of the verdict back in July before it became public, but the club's position has not changed. In the statement carried by goal.com, they said the process still has "significant elements to be completed" and repeated the line they have held since February 2023.

That leaves Donnarumma as the name most people are circling. He has five Premier League appearances for City and a 7.22 rating, which is enough to explain why clubs are watching him as more than a speculative extra. If City are forced into any kind of sales strategy later, a goalkeeper with that profile is the obvious place for elite buyers to look.

Real Madrid and Manchester United interest

The strongest link in the reports points towards Real Madrid, where Thibaut Courtois remains the established reference point, but Donnarumma is being talked about as a possible target if City's situation worsens. The reports do not say he is already on his way out, and there is no indication he is preparing to leave.

Manchester United have also been dragged into the story after Gabriel Agbonlahor urged them to move. Speaking on football365.com, he said: "I will say Donnarumma to Manchester United. Manchester United will go and nick their number one goalkeeper." He also pushed Elliot Anderson as another name United should consider, and City had already agreed a £116m deal for Anderson from Nottingham Forest on July 2 before officially signing him on July 23.

The scale of City's summer spending is part of why this story has landed so hard. Goal's report says they spent more than £440 million on seven senior signings before the verdict was officially announced, and also completed a £125m move for Enzo Fernández from Chelsea. If the case starts to bite, Donnarumma is the headline name now, and the market is already behaving like that possibility is real.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →