Why AC Milan isn't to blame in Donnarumma debacle

The offer on the table was outrageous. Sky Sport Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio said AC Milan was prepared to give 18-year-old phenom Gianluigi Donnarumma €50 million (gross) over a five-year contract, making him one of the highest-paid goalkeepers in football and certainly the biggest earner on the club's payroll. The Rossoneri wanted him to be the face of a revolution, and perhaps even the captain in due time.

The feeling appeared to be mutual. Donnarumma admitted that as a child he had a clock of Kaka, a poster of Milan's squad, and red-and-black pillows in his bedroom. He kissed the badge in the aftermath of a heated match against Juventus, clapped back to the hardcore supporters in the southern end of San Siro, and said that he is "very attached" to the club.

But on Thursday, the love story fell apart. Donnarumma informed Milan by way of his agent, Mino Raiola, that he would not renew his contract and pursue other options.

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What Milan does now is uncertain - the club could bench him until his deal expires in 2018, or sell him for a quick profit - but no matter the course, the 18-time Serie A champion can come away from this debacle with its head held high.

"We have to go forward and AC Milan will go forward," CEO Marco Fassone told an impromptu news conference.

The announcement temporarily halted Milan's revolution. Committing €99 million to four major signings in fewer than 14 days, the San Siro outfit, bankrolled by new Chinese owners Yonghong Li and David Han Li, showed it meant business. There was an understanding that Milan, despite achieving the objective of finishing sixth in Serie A last season, needed massive investments to compete at the highest level again.

If nothing else, Fassone and sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli tried their best to prove to Donnarumma and his agent that a project was in place.

Raiola wasn't convinced by this project, according to Italian football reporter Alfredo Pedulla, and had long expressed doubts about the plans of the Chinese. The Lis completed a €740-million takeover of the club in April, but only after several delays and confusion over their source of wealth.

Even if questions remain about the long-term viability of the Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux ownership group, the past two weeks indicate a strong commitment to bringing Milan back to the top. No one can question the club's ambition.

The proposal to Donnarumma should have only solidified Milan's trust in Italy's future No. 1. Milan knew his worth, and was willing to even overpay for it. There was no low-balling happening here.

Raiola must have led Donnarumma to believe Milan wasn't worth it. His opinion matters because he ingratiated himself with Donnarumma's family very early in his career. So tense were negotiations that Raiola allegedly asked to meet only with Fassone and not Mirabelli after the sporting director bypassed the super agent directly and contacted Donnarumma's family for a response.

Arrogance may have gotten in the way of common sense. Staying at Milan would have allowed Donnarumma to make the odd error and escape a lynching. At a place like the Bernabeu, even Cristiano Ronaldo can get whistled. But Donnarumma wants Real Madrid, according to Di Marzio. It's a personal decision, though one that has consequences.

Instead of haggling and trying to change minds which seem dead set in their ways - Donnarumma's decision was "definitive," according to Fassone - Milan ended a lost clause and moved on. Just as quickly as they've made signings, they told reporters Donnarumma had opted not to renew.

There was nothing more they could do.

That is the most ballsy move yet by this new-age Milan. In previous years, signings became drawn-out sagas, and transparency was at a minimum. Now the Rossoneri are being run by strong people who have a sense of duty first and foremost to the club.

They were not asking for loyalty or a financial sacrifice. They asked simply for a pledge from a goalkeeper whom former manager Sinisa Mihajlovic entrusted with the No. 1 spot in 2015, ahead of a much more experienced goalkeeper in Diego Lopez. Instead, they received their answer two days after the deadline both parties had reportedly agreed on.

Athletes should always try and make as much money as possible. In turning down Milan, however, Donnarumma betrayed fans to whom he endeared himself, and gave up on the club that gave him an opportunity just a year and a half ago.

It's apparent that he thinks he's bigger than Milan - at only 18 years old.

Now the search begins for Donnarumma's replacement. Because, despite all the miraculous saves, he isn't irreplaceable. With a better overall squad, Vincenzo Montella's side will concede fewer shots and score more goals.

Milan existed before Donnarumma and it will exist after. Thursday's revelation was a small step back for a team that is moving forward.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)