Manchester City Signs Gerónimo Rulli as Goalkeeper Replacement
Manchester City have dipped into the past to solve a very modern problem. According to The Athletic, the champions have agreed a €2m fee with Marseille to bring back Gerónimo Rulli, a goalkeeper who once belonged to the club on paper but never pulled on the shirt in a competitive game.
This time, he is coming to play a clear role.
From forgotten asset to trusted deputy
Rulli, now 34 and a World Cup-winning Argentina international, arrives as the direct replacement for James Trafford, who has joined Leeds United in a £45m deal to secure the regular Premier League minutes City could not promise.
Trafford’s path closed quickly. Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival last summer changed the goalkeeping hierarchy overnight. Even after Trafford helped City lift both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, the reality was blunt: with Donnarumma installed as the undisputed No 1, opportunities were going to be scarce.
City have responded with pragmatism. Rulli is seen inside the club as a low-cost, high-experience understudy, someone comfortable with the ball at his feet and calm enough to keep City’s build-up play ticking when called upon. At €2m, it is a depth signing with minimal financial risk and clear tactical logic.
A career that comes full circle
Rulli’s name has been on City’s books before. He originally signed for the club in 2016 from Deportivo Maldonado, only to be moved on permanently to Real Sociedad without making a senior appearance. Back then, he was a prospect in a crowded stable. Now he returns as a seasoned professional.
Over the past two seasons at Marseille, Rulli made 73 appearances and re-established himself as a reliable first-choice goalkeeper at a demanding club. His form helped keep him in the Argentina picture, and he was part of the 2026 World Cup squad, adding another layer of experience to a dressing room already stacked with major-tournament winners.
He will now work under a familiar face. Willy Caballero, another Argentine who once stood in City’s goal and became a cult figure at the Etihad, is on Enzo Maresca’s coaching staff and will help integrate his compatriot into a new-look goalkeeping unit.
Maresca reshapes his squad
Rulli’s arrival fits into a broader pattern. City have already re-signed young goalkeeper Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday before sending him on loan to QPR, a move that protects the club’s long-term options while clearing space in the short term.
Behind that, the mood at the Etihad is one of cautious preparation for bigger tremors. The Athletic reports that City are braced for possible departures, with Rodri linked to Barcelona and interest building around Savinho and Tijjani Reijnders. Those are the kind of names that change the shape of a season if they walk out the door.
For now, though, the business is about shoring up the spine rather than ripping it out. Rulli gives Maresca a goalkeeper who understands the demands of a possession-heavy side and can step in without forcing a tactical rewrite.
Countdown to kick-off
Rulli is scheduled to join up with the squad once they return from their pre-season tour of Hong Kong and South Korea next week. The timing matters. Maresca wants his group together early, and the calendar is tight.
Players who went deep into the World Cup are due back on Wednesday for their first session under the new manager, with an open training session following on Thursday. Those days will not be gentle. Maresca must knit together a dressing room that has lost Trafford, added Donnarumma and now Rulli, and could still face late-window turbulence if major offers arrive for key outfield players.
For Rulli, the assignment is clear: stabilise, support, and be ready. For City, the question is sharper. Is this the quiet, sensible business that underpins another title charge, or the calm before a more disruptive storm in the final weeks of the window?
