The future of Gianluigi Donnarumma at Milan depends on one thing

You may have noticed a few things recently.

1. Gianluigi Donnarumma has turned 18 and can now sign a professional contract with the Rossoneri.
2. Gianluigi Donnarumma has yet to sign anything that pins his future to AC Milan.

This. Well, it would in usual circumstances be worrying. Milan, like every other club in the world need to keep a hold of important players, especially important players like Donnarumma. If a contract has yet to be signed, it would be worrying.

One small fact that makes this entire ordeal less worrying is that it likely revolves around the fact that AC Milan have been under the cloud of a takeover for a long time and that doesn’t exactly spell ‘immediate and clear finance books’.

Yes, other contracts have been renewed in the dying hours of the Berlusconi regime - Giacomo Bonaventura for instance, but those contracts are simply offers built up on previous contracts. For Giacomo, he’d simply have an extension and a wage boost - something which can easily be arranged.

The difference is that Donnarumma is still on a youth contract with Milan - this is likely extremely low paid and would probably have nothing on record that features important things - international cap bonuses, image rights. It’d be basic and small. Donnarumma’s new contract is likely to be blockbuster, complex and will compensate the Italian well. While Berlusconi’s team have likely already made several attempts at negotiating a contract with Gigio and his agent, Mino Raiola - but have clearly fallen short of something.

That something? It could very well be money. Gigio Donnarumma is a fine talent and deserves to be paid well, extremely well. It’s more likely a guarantee. A guarantee that the Rossoneri will return to performing as the team they once were, and not the team that they have been for the past number of years.

There’s only one party that can affect money and the guarantee in that way, and it’s AC Milan’s incoming owners, the Sino-Europe group and everything to do with Donnarumma’s future is going to hang on them. If the takeover falls through, it might be the end of Gigio’s time at the San Siro.