PSG’s signing of Donnarumma opens the door for Chelsea

The goalkeeper market was sure to be a weird one this summer when a handful of big names hit free agency. The fact of the matter is, most of the top clubs in Europe are set between the sticks. In England, Chelsea has Edouard Mendy, Manchester City has Ederson, Liverpool has Alisson and Manchester United has Dean Henderson/David de Gea. In Spain, Real Madrid has Thibaut Courtois, Barcelona has Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Atletico Madrid has Jan Oblak. Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain has Keylor Navas, Bayern Munich has Manuel Neuer and Juventus has Wojciech Szczesny. Do you see my point?

However, there was one name that was sure to attract the attention of nearly every club in Europe when it comes to the keeper position: Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Italian keeper made a name for himself rising through the AC Milan and Italian national ranks at 16 and 17 respectively. He’s got six years of top flight European experience under his belt—he’s still just 22. Donnarumma hit the open market a few weeks ago. Although some Chelsea fans will be upset their club didn’t pursue Donnarumma, the youngster’s move to PSG opens a door for the Blues.

Ever since bringing Mendy to Stamford Bridge at the beginning of last year, Chelsea has been thinking of ways to part with Kepa Arrizabalaga. While that may seem harsh, reality has surely set in for the Spaniard after a woeful 2019/20 campaign. He was a much improved shot-stopper when presented with opportunities last season, but the fact of the matter is, he’s nowhere near Mendy’s quality. Mendy has proven to be a superb signing for the Blues, going on to guide them to a Champions League triumph in his first try.

Willy Caballero has also departed Chelsea after four years in west London. With the club exploring moving on from Arrizabalaga, the Blues need to fill up the depth chart. Luckily, PSG will need to make some room given its signing of Donnarumma. Anybody who is familiar with my writing knows I am a big fan of a former Chelsea player that resides in Paris’ goalkeeper room. Of course, we’re talking about Marcin Bulka.

Bulka made the switch from Stamford Bridge to Le Parc des Princes when Arrizabalaga’s release clause was triggered. The youngster wanted a clearer path to the first team and believed France was his ideal destination. As it turns out, he couldn’t have been more wrong. The Polish keeper made just two first team appearances for Les Parisiens and has since been loaned out to the second division in Spain (FC Cartagena) and France (LB Chateauroux). Bulka will return to the French capital when his contract expires in three weeks.

Donnarumma’s arrival virtually ends any hope Bulka had at being the goalkeeper of the future for PSG. The Italian is just one year older, but has an incredible resume compared to the Pole. Therefore, it’s safe to assume Bulka will hand in a transfer request. The Blues should be first in line to enlist in his services.

A move for Bulka would be inexpensive given his expendable status at PSG and his lack of experience. It would also give Chelsea a solid, young No. 2 who would get plenty of playing time as the Blues compete on multiple fronts next season. Lastly—and perhaps more importantly—it would give Marina Granovskaia the chance to start looking at moves for Arrizabalaga. Moving on from the Spaniard would give Chelsea a chance to raise funds for other transfers and balance the books. It goes without saying the Blues will take a loss on the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.

Who do you think Chelsea should turn to in order to fill one of its potential voids in goal? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!