London – AFP

The transfer of Italian international goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to English club Manchester City has been finalized, with the latter agreeing to pay 35 million euros (41 million dollars) to French club Paris Saint-Germain, according to reports just hours before the summer transfer window closed on Monday night, based on statements by Italy’s new coach Gennaro Gattuso.

PSG sought to reach a solution with City to relieve the burden of Donnarumma’s salary and avoid losing him for free in a few months.

Donnarumma’s journey with PSG has come to an end, as the Spanish coach of the capital club, Luis Enrique, is looking “for a different kind of goalkeepers,” according to his comments after excluding the Italian goalkeeper from the UEFA Super Cup match against English club Tottenham (the French team won on penalties) and subsequently from the early stages of the French league.

The 26-year-old expressed his frustration after being excluded from the team, saying on Instagram, “Someone decided that I can no longer be part of the group or contribute to the team’s successes. I am frustrated and sad.”

PSG signed goalkeeper Luca Chevalier from Lille to replace the Italian, who addressed his teammates at PSG as “my second family,” thanking them “for every battle, every laugh, and every shared moment.”

Reports indicated that Donnarumma’s transfer to City is linked to the latter’s disposal of its Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson, but the British Press Association said Monday that City reached an agreement to sign the Italian, especially since the new arrival to coach Pep Guardiola’s team, James Trafford, who joined this summer from Burnley, did not perform convincingly in the first three matches of the new season.