Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Tottenham were keen on signing AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma this summer.

What's the latest news involving Donnarumma?

The Italian shot-stopper made his Milan debut at the age of just 16, and has spent the last six seasons with the Rossoneri. However, his time at the club appears to be up, with his contract set to expire at the end of June. Last month, Milan's technical director Paolo Maldini revealed that Donnarumma will leave the club when his current deal runs out.

This has led to a scramble for the 22-year-old's signature, which PSG appear to have won ahead of the likes of Barcelona and Juventus. Romano has claimed that another club showed interest in signing Donnarumma as well, though.

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What did Romano say about Donnarumma?

Speaking on The Here We Go Podcast, Romano explained how Tottenham tried to approach Donnarumma, but were unsuccessful due to the youngster not wanting to move to England at this stage of his career.

Romano said: "Tottenham were interested in Donnarumma. With the new director, Fabio Paratici, they were interested. They were trying to talk with him, but Donnarumma’s priority was to go in a different league.

"So, it’s not just about Tottenham. He wanted to try a different league and not the Premier League."

What were Donnarumma's stats in 2020/21?

It is no surprise that Donnarumma has been in demand in recent weeks given the season that he has just had.

The 6 foot 5 goalkeeper kept 14 clean sheets in 37 Serie A appearances, helping Milan finish in second place, which means they will return to the Champions League in 2021/22 after a seven-year absence from the competition.

In his six seasons as a professional, his save percentage has been above 70% in five of them, and that was the case again this year as he saved 71.2% of the shots he faced (via FBREF).

His performances earned him the Best Goalkeeper in Serie A award which was handed out at the end of May.

Can Tottenham take positives from this situation?

Spurs look almost certain to miss out on Donnarumma now, and it seems that they did not get particularly close to tempting him to north London at any stage.

However, showing interest in this type of player is a step in the right direction for the club. Donnarumma is one of the most sought-after players in the world at the moment, and given his age, he could still have 15 years of his career ahead of him.

Therefore, it should be seen as good news that Spurs, with the help of Paratici who is set to become their new sporting director, are showing the ambition to try to bring in this calibre of player in the transfer window.

Paratici has worked in Italy throughout his career, and appears to have plenty of connections in Serie A, so Tottenham may be able to use this to sign some of the finest Italian talent this summer, which in turn could help them start to move up the table once more next year.