Man City agree bargain €2m deal for Geronimo Rulli as James Trafford replacement

According to The Athletic, Man City have agreed a €2m fee with Marseille to sign goalkeeper Rulli. The 34-year-old Argentina international is brought in as a replacement for Trafford, who recently completed a £45m move to Leeds United. Rulli originally signed for City in 2016 from Deportivo Maldonado before being sold permanently to Real Sociedad without making a senior appearance for the Citizens.

City's decision to bring in Rulli follows the departure of Trafford, who opted to join Leeds in search of regular Premier League football. The Englishman saw his first-team prospects limited following the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma last summer, despite helping City win the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. The City hierarchy view Rulli as a low-cost, experienced understudy who possesses the build-up qualities required for their system.

Rulli, who made 73 appearances for Marseille over the past two seasons and was part of Argentina's 2026 World Cup squad, will work under former City goalkeeper Willy Caballero, now on Enzo Maresca's coaching staff. This move follows the re-signing of Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday before his loan to QPR. The Athletic adds that City are now preparing for potential exits, with Rodri linked to Barcelona and interest surrounding Savinho and Tijjani Reijnders.

Rulli is scheduled to link up with the City squad once they return from their pre-season tour of Hong Kong and South Korea next week. Players involved in the latter stages of the World Cup are expected to report for their first training session under Maresca on Wednesday, followed by an open training session on Thursday. This preparation phase will be vital for the manager to fine-tune tactical cohesion and finalise his squad ahead of the new campaign.

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