Gianluigi Donnarumma finds himself in a very precarious position.

A mere two months after playing a pivotal role in Paris Saint-Germain’s first Champions League triumph, the Italian is now on the margins of the project, pushed aside by the French club as talks over a new contract appear to have broken down.

Donnarumma left AC Milan to sign for PSG four years ago, penning a five-year deal that has one remaining.

And because of the manner in which PSG secured him in the summer of 2021, enticing him away from the club that made him a superstar with the promise of a bumper contract and no transfer fee, the fear of history repeating itself is no doubt playing on the European champions’ mind.

With his contract now in its final 12 months, PSG could lose one of the best keepers in the world for nothing next summer, a situation they, like Milan before them, want to avoid. 

PSG are due to face Tottenham in the European Super Cup in Udine on Wednesday night, and Donnarumma has been left out of the squad by Luis Enrique as tensions mount.

Moreover, the club have been proactive to get in front of the situation by signing Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year Lucas Chevalier from Lille.

Donnarumma has also been banished from first-team training, leaving the 26-year-old with two options: either sign a new deal or leave.

Naturally, a possible destination could be the Premier League, with several top clubs sniffing around. Serie A sides are reportedly interested, but Donnarumma’s wages would represent a huge challenge to any would-be suitor in his homeland, with the stopper making close to €13million (£11.2m) per season in the French capital.

The recent turn of events is a swift fall from grace for the Campania native

Rewind the clock to early spring and Donnarumma was producing masterclass after masterclass as PSG edged towards their first Champions League in a series of pulsating contests.

Drawn against three consecutive English sides in the knockout rounds, Donnarumma pulled off sublime saves time and again against Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal, with the stop to deny Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard in the semi-final second leg the pick of a truly delightful bunch.

Donnarumma had been criticised in the French media for his erratic performances and lack of ball control. He’d been prone to the odd monumental mistake, most notably against Real Madrid in the Champions League in early 2022.

Even now, the Italian is not the best with the ball at his feet which, in an era where all goalkeepers are expected to be as comfortable with their feet as they are with their hands, can be viewed as a major flaw in his game.

This element was picked on by those in France since his arrival, and it is also something Luis Enrique does not particularly like about Donnarumma, despite his obvious ability to repel shots.

Time and again he bailed his side out against the Premier League trio, and his manager recognised as much.

“Sen-sa-tion-nelle,” was how the Spaniard, who still does not speak much in the way of French, described Donnarumma’s performance against Arsenal in north London.

Yet those heroics in England during the spring could now be forgotten should he leave the French capital in the coming weeks.

La Gazzetta dello Sport has stated PSG’s new contract extension represents a considerable reduction in salary, to €8m (£7m) per season. This, clearly, does not sit well with the player’s entourage in the wake of his displays several months ago.

The situation appears to be at an impasse: Donnarumma is adamant he is in charge of his own destiny, while PSG have made it clear he either agrees to terms, leaves or faces a year out in the cold as he runs down his contract.

Donnarumma’s agent, Enzo Raiola, criticised the club for its behaviour, while the player himself broke his silence surrounding the issue, releasing a statement on X saying: “Unfortunately, someone has decided that I can no longer be part of the group and contribute to the team’s success. I am disappointed and disheartened.”

Luis Enrique, in his pre-game press conference, has taken ‘responsibility’ for the decision in dropping the goalkeeper. Despite his own admission that the Italian is ‘one of the best in the world’ and an ‘even better person’, he wants a different profile in a goalkeeper.

Reading between the lines, it’s clear the Spaniard, a graduate of Barcelona’s Johan Cruyff-infused football ideology, doesn’t believe Donnarumma possesses the kind of footwork he demands, and certainly not to the point where a potential contract extension is in the offing.

It is hardly the kind of situation the Castellammare-born star wants to find himself in just 10 months out from the 2026 World Cup.

Of course, Italy need to make it to the tournament first. Yet despite their rocky start and sacking of Luciano Spalletti, most expect the Azzurri to break their horrible recent record and actually qualify.

Donnarumma knows he needs to play, not for fear of making Gennaro Gattuso’s squad, but for match sharpness and consistency.

That is all in the distance, of course, but the decisions made this summer will influence his immediate future. 

Few expected Donnarumma to be in this predicament, and there is a sneaking suspicion that had he stayed at Milan, while he would not have won Europe’s top honour by the age of 26, by the same token he wouldn’t have found himself on the outside looking in.

Udine is familiar to Donnarumma, he played at the Stadio Friuli several times during his time with the Rossoneri.

Yet when PSG battle Spurs in the Super Cup, the Italian will be at home, watching on TV like the rest of us. A career very much in the balance.