Manchester City Sign Geronimo Rulli for €2m as Donnarumma's Backup

Manchester City have turned to a familiar name to solve their goalkeeping puzzle, striking a €2m (£1.7m) deal for Marseille’s Geronimo Rulli as the new understudy to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

City moved at speed once James Trafford’s departure to Leeds for an initial £40m was sealed this week, refusing to leave a hole behind Donnarumma in a squad built on depth and experience. The answer came from France – and from their own past.

Rulli will sign a two-year contract at the Etihad Stadium after two seasons as Marseille’s first-choice goalkeeper, where his reliability and presence helped anchor a side constantly under scrutiny and pressure. At 34, he arrives as more than just cover. He brings scars, medals and a catalogue of high‑stakes nights.

This will technically be his second spell on City’s books. Back in 2016, the club secured his rights before immediately sending him on loan to Real Sociedad, who then moved to make the deal permanent. He never played a competitive minute for City, his time in Manchester reduced to paperwork and passing mentions.

Since then he has taken the long road around Europe. From Real Sociedad to Montpellier, from Villarreal to Ajax, and most recently Marseille, Rulli has built a career on adaptability and big-game nerve.

His defining club moment came in the 2021 Europa League final for Villarreal against Manchester United. In a penalty shootout that seemed to go on forever, the goalkeeper not only saved a spot-kick but stepped up to score one himself, turning a tense night into a historic trophy for the Spanish club.

Rulli also arrives with heavyweight international credentials. He is a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022 and a runner-up this summer, part of squads loaded with talent and expectation. He did not play a minute in either tournament, yet training every day in that environment, living through those campaigns, adds another layer of experience to City’s dressing room.

For a club obsessed with marginal gains and elite competition in every position, a World Cup-winning deputy behind Donnarumma fits the model perfectly. Rulli’s second chance at City will finally come on the pitch, not just in the fine print.