5 most valuable young footballers from Italy
After having tailed off in recent years when it comes to producing exciting young players, Italy now back on the gravy train. A host of their young stars are serving cubs in the domestic leagues with much aplomb with much interest growing in the Premier League and other financially strong leagues.
With the kind of talent coming through, it’s about time their national team started benefiting, too. But for Italy to competitively challenge some of the big boys in the UEFA European Championships and the FIFA World Cup, they’re going to need some of the following stars to step it up another notch.
Here are five of the most talented and valuable young talents coming out of Italy: (Under-23 only)
#5 Gianluigi Donnarumma – €20 million
Hailed as the inheritor of Gianluigi Buffon’s infamous Italian goalkeeping crown, 17-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma has more to the throne than just the first name. The AC Milan keeper is easily one of the best young keepers in the world at the moment and is proving it with his performances on the pitch.
The teenager is being hounded by some of the biggest clubs in Europe with Real Madrid and Barcelona fighting for the red carpet. Yet, he remains humble and in search of the kind of opportunities that will better his game faster than it’ll better his bank balance.
Donnarumma is valued at around €20 million in the market but given his age and potential, AC Milan could ask anywhere in between €35 million and €45 million should clubs come in for him in the summer. His contract runs out at the end of next season and he’s yet to agree on a contract extension.