Serie A Agent conducted interview with Gazzetta

Milan CEO: What Real will not pay us for Donnarumma will go straight to Raiola

AC Milan joke about Ronaldo-Donnarumma swap

Having come under fire for his involvement in the contract saga which has ended in Gianluigi Donnarumma announcing his intention to leave AC Milan, agent Mino Raiola has defended the decision by claiming the player is worth a great deal of money to any club.

The teenage goalkeeper has just one year left to run on his current contract.

Despite extensive talks between the two parties, an agreement couldn't be reached and the player will now depart the Rossoneri within the next year.

Did Milan offer you 50 million euros gross for five years?

"There were no presumptions or conditions for an agreement. We asked for time and discretion in order to allow Gigio to be calm but Milan informed the press of every move and the results are there for everyone to see."

The Rossoneri world now hates you.

"I'm used to that. Unfortunately, something else happened instead. A small group of the club's fans went against Donnarumma and the club did nothing to protect him. They didn't remove the banner which was placed in front of the club's offices and never expressed solidarity with him. Now, Gigio is sad."

Fans with the national team [at the Under-21 European Championship] have also protested against him.

"I at least hope the FIGC [Italian Football Federation] will defend him. We are already organising the use of a security service. We have to think about everything because nobody else cares about him. It is absurd."

Very few people understand the decision not to renew.

"In principle, Gigio wanted to stay at Milan because he has been there since he was 14. He actually signed despite having had contact with Inter and his parents told him not to sign because the club had sold his brother Antonio. He was hurt by Mirabelli's phrase, when he told him: 'If you don't sign then you sit in the stands.' That sounds like blackmail."

The feeling is that there is already an agreement with Real Madrid.

"Absolutely not. But to go to Real, we wouldn't need [Adriano] Galliani. There are many teams interested in him, just like there were when he was 16 but he preferred Milan."

Why didn't he renew when Galliani was still running things at the club?

"Because Milan had been trying to sell the club for two years with three different buyers. Galliani tried to talk to me but I said no and he respected me for that. I had to wait because I didn't know what was happening with the sale of the club and I had to protect the player."

Many think you and Galliani agree on this.

"Well, I'm his friend outside of football but in business we have often clashed with each other because he is too much of a supporter. The other day, he called me after everything trying to resolve the situation but I abruptly told him no."

Do you trust those who are now in charge at Milan?

"I don't trust them and they don't trust me. Are Milan owned by Mr Elliott or Mr Li? I do have a very good relationship with Marco Fassone. I've known him a long time. I know I can count on him and he with me but I don't need to explain why."

What went wrong in recent weeks?

"There were still four games left in the season and Mirabelli was already trying to get Gigio to renew. There was even a time when Gigio tried to avoid him at Milanello. They refused to leave him alone. Those are things that don't happen at big clubs anymore. They happened years ago at certain small clubs in the south of Italy."

Do you not like Mirabelli?

"I don't talk about him as a person but rather his methods. For example, nobody has noticed that [Andrea] Conti has threatened not to even turn up to Atalanta training in order to join Milan. Gigio never said anything like that and has never had any financial demands. But if you have a top player like him at your club, why do you go and offer double or triple the salary to [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang or [Alvaro] Morata? It makes no sense."

But Gigio is only 18 years old.

"So what? Madrid signed a 16-year-old Brazilian [Vinicius Jnr] for 45 million euros and do you know his salary? Age is irrelevant when it comes to quality."

Are Juventus also interested?

"I didn't talk with the player about that. I haven't opened the door to anyone. [Giuseppe] Marotta is always looking for the best players for his club but out of respect for Milan, he isn't thinking about Juve."

How much is Donnarumma worth?

"He is priceless and I wouldn't put a price on him anyway. Milan must do that. I only know that he is the only goalkeeper who can win several Ballon d'Ors and he can become even better than [Gianluigi] Buffon but in 30 years, a stronger goalkeeper will be born."

Is it true that you asked for a 10 million euros release clause?

"We never started negotiating. They tried to provoke us with a 200 million euros release clause but I answered with 10 million euros, which could be five million euros if Milan didn't qualify for the Champions League."

If Donnarumma goes abroad would it be a blow for Italian football?

"Why? [Marco] Verratti never played in Serie A and he is a star at PSG. Cristiano Ronaldo left his country when he was very young but still returns a lot. The same goes for [Frank] Rijkaard, [Ruud] Gullit and [Marco] van Basten. Leaving helps you to improve."

Do you earn more when you sell abroad?

"I don't sign the contracts with my players, just trust. But it is clear that the more they earn, the more I charge, although I won't speak about numbers."

With the Paul Pogba transfer, there was talk of 27 million euros just for you.

"That figure may not be the correct one but regardless, Juve got a good deal out of it. In 2015, Marotta asked us to stay one more year and we did things in the right way. A year later he left and everyone was happy."

Do you take players to where it is most profitable?

"I take them where it is most profitable for them. For example, soon we will renew at Juventus with Moise Kean and it hasn't been easy. [Lorenzo] Pellegrini of Roma is also wanted by many teams but he will stay too. In 25 years, I've brought many important players to Italy. I fought with Barcelona for [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic to go to Milan and have a good relationship with many clubs."

Are some relationships broken though?

"I haven't declared war on Milan. They have even asked me about [Blaise] Matuidi, just like Juve and Inter so we will see."