Mike Maignan has officially become a Rossoneri player, he will be wearing the #16 shirt between the Milan sticks.
Gianluigi Donnarumma will become a free agent next month and leave Milan and the Diavolo have already got a replacement.
Maignan comes from Ligue 1 Champions Lille for €13m + €2m of bonuses. He already signed the contract on Tuesday but the official statement arrived today:
“Milan is delighted to announce the signing of French player Mike Maignan from LOSC Lille, who will be joining the Club starting from 1 July 2021. The goalkeeper has signed a contract with the Rossoneri until 30 June, 2026 and will wear the number 16 jersey.
“Born in Cayenne (French Guayana) on 3 July 1995, Mike Maignan spent his youth career at Paris Saint-Germain. In the summer of 2015, he moved to LOSC Lille, where he made 180 appearances over six seasons, winning the French Ligue 1 title in the season just ended. After having played in all age categories of the French National Team, from Under 16 to Under 21, he made his senior international debut in October 2020 and is now part of the 26-man squad for Euro 2020.”
The 25-year-old was the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in Europe this season. He will reportedly be earning €2.5 million with bonuses that can take his salary up to €3 million.
After signing the contract, Maignan sat down to speak with MilanTV: “I’ve very happy to join Milan, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world with ambitions and projects for the future. I’m very happy to bring what I have to this project.
“The season with Lille? It’s been the best season of my career so far, it’s a reward for having won the title in France. We won the league and being here is a reward for me. My style of play? I like playing with the ball, this has been very useful to me as modern football requires ‘keepers to use their feet too.
“My nickname? Magic Eagle is a nickname my teammates gave me because they say I am the kinds of the birds. Saving penalties? It is instinctive, it’s a duel between the ‘keeper and the striker and I don’t like to lose my duels.
“Leão and Ibrahimović? Rafael is a prodigy, I was lucky enough to play with him at Lille and we meet again now. The same goes for Ibrahimović, it’s always a pleasure to play with him.
“If there is a goalkeeper that I’m particularly inspired by? Many ‘keepers have inspired me, I have studied many of them to try to develop my game. This is how I normally work. I feel very proud to represent my country and my people, I’m proud of myself and I consider this a reward for all my work in recent years.
“My jersey number? Number 16 is the number I started with, I like how MM16 sounds. This fits well and it will stay with me until the end of my career.
“A greeting to the fans? I can’t wait to experience the passion of the Rossoneri fans. Hello to all Milan fans!”
