Manchester City has reached an agreement with Marseille for the transfer of goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli in a deal valued at €2million. Rulli is expected to join the squad upon their return from the pre-season tour of Hong Kong and South Korea next week.
The Argentina international has been identified as a replacement for James Trafford, who recently joined Leeds in a move reportedly worth up to £45m. Trafford’s departure was partly influenced by his dissatisfaction with City’s acquisition of Gianluigi Donnarumma last summer.
Rulli’s Return to City
This marks a return to Manchester City for Rulli, who initially signed with the club 10 years ago from Deportivo Maldonado. During his first stint, he did not make an appearance for the Premier League club, instead being loaned to Real Sociedad before making a permanent move in January 2017.
Rulli has previously been linked with a return to City around the turn of the decade. He has since played for various European clubs, including spells at Villarreal, Ajax, and Marseille. He spent the last two seasons with Marseille, making 73 appearances and contributing to their second-place finish in Ligue 1 during the 2024-25 season.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper has been capped eight times by Argentina and served as a back-up to Emiliano Martinez during his nation’s run to the World Cup final this summer, though he did not play any minutes in the tournament. Upon his arrival, Rulli will have the opportunity to work with fellow countryman and former City goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who is part of Enzo Maresca’s backroom staff.
Goalkeeping Department Reshuffle
Manchester City has been actively reshaping its goalkeeping department. The club was unable to retain Trafford, leading them to seek a more traditional back-up option in Rulli. His relatively low transfer fee suggests he is primarily viewed as an understudy to Donnarumma, fitting the club’s style and bringing significant experience, particularly with teams accustomed to playing out from the back.
Trafford had rejoined City last summer from Burnley after a successful season that saw the Clarets promoted. City matched Newcastle’s £31m bid for him at the time. However, the subsequent arrival of Champions League winner Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain reportedly surprised Trafford.
After featuring in City’s first three league games of the season, Trafford made only one more league appearance. He did, however, start in City’s Carabao Cup and FA Cup final victories over Arsenal and Chelsea, respectively, making 17 appearances in the season before going to the World Cup.
Earlier this summer, City also re-signed former academy goalkeeper Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday. Charles is set to spend the 2026-27 season on loan at Queens Park Rangers.
Transfer Activity and Squad Changes
Leeds United, who signed Trafford, were in search of a new goalkeeper after both Illan Meslier and Karl Darlow departed this summer for back-up roles at Arsenal and Manchester United, respectively. Lucas Perri, acquired last year, also lost his starting position at Leeds. Leeds has also added Harry Wilson on a free transfer from Fulham and Bosnia international Tarik Muharemovic for £34m from Sassuolo, surpassing their previous record buy of Georginio Rutter for £40m.
Manchester City’s summer transfer activity has been progressing steadily following the record signing of Elliot Anderson. The club is also preparing to replace Rodri should the Spain international complete a move to Barcelona. This potential move is separate from any interest in Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
The club also aims to replace other departing players, including Savinho, who has attracted interest from Tottenham, and Tijjani Reijnders, who has been linked with Nottingham Forest, among other clubs. The players who participated in the latter stages of the World Cup are expected to report for their first training session under Enzo Maresca on Wednesday, with the club hosting an open training session on Thursday.
Source: nytimes.com