Man City Sign Gerónimo Rulli to Replace Trafford
Manchester City have dipped back into their past to solve a present problem, agreeing a €2m deal with Marseille to bring Gerónimo Rulli back to the club as understudy to Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Eight years after first signing for City from Deportivo Maldonado in 2016 – and leaving again without a single senior appearance – the 34-year-old Argentina international is finally set to pull on the shirt in earnest. This time, there is a clear role waiting for him.
Trafford out, Rulli in
The move is a direct response to James Trafford’s departure. The England goalkeeper has joined Leeds United in a £45m deal, chasing the regular Premier League minutes that were never likely to come his way once Donnarumma arrived last summer.
Trafford leaves with medals and frustration in equal measure. He helped City lift both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, yet saw his path to the No 1 spot blocked almost as soon as it opened. With Donnarumma locked in as first choice, City’s hierarchy decided the back-up slot needed a different profile: experienced, affordable, and comfortable in their possession-heavy build-up.
Rulli ticks those boxes. City see him as a low-cost, steady pair of hands who understands the demands of playing behind a high defensive line and building attacks from the back, rather than a young keeper needing minutes to develop.
From Marseille mainstay to City deputy
Rulli arrives from Marseille after two solid seasons in Ligue 1, during which he made 73 appearances and established himself as a reliable presence. His form helped keep him in the Argentina national-team picture, earning him a place in the 2026 World Cup squad.
Now he swaps the Velodrome for the Etihad, trading a starting role in France for a supporting one in England. It is a pragmatic move from both sides: City get experience and composure; Rulli gets another shot at elite-level competition and a reunion with a familiar environment he never truly got to experience first time around.
He will also be working under a compatriot who knows exactly what it means to be City’s No 2. Former City goalkeeper Willy Caballero is now part of Enzo Maresca’s coaching staff and will be heavily involved in Rulli’s integration. Few are better placed than Caballero to explain the mental and technical demands of being ready every week while rarely starting.
Maresca shapes his goalkeeping stable
Rulli’s arrival follows the re-signing of Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday, with the young keeper immediately sent on loan to QPR. The pattern is clear: Maresca wants a clearly defined hierarchy in goal – a world-class starter in Donnarumma, an experienced deputy in Rulli, and a prospect gaining minutes elsewhere.
City’s summer, though, is not just about the goalkeepers. According to The Athletic, the club are bracing for potential exits across the squad. Rodri has been linked with Barcelona, while Savinho and Tijjani Reijnders are also attracting interest. The transfer window around the Etihad still feels open, restless, unfinished.
Timing the return
Rulli is scheduled to join up with the City squad once they return from their pre-season tour of Hong Kong and South Korea next week. That timing matters. Maresca’s first full week with a complete group is looming, and the World Cup’s late finish has already compressed his preparation time.
Players involved in the latter stages of the tournament are due back for their first session under the new manager on Wednesday, with an open training session to follow on Thursday. Those days will be precious. This is when Maresca will drill his positional play, demand precision in build-up, and decide who he truly trusts before the new campaign begins.
For Rulli, that means stepping into a dressing room he once belonged to only on paper and proving, at last, that his second spell at Manchester City will be more than a footnote.
