Manchester City have officially announced the signing of Marseille's first-choice goalkeeper Jeronimo Rulli. The news was confirmed by the club's official website (mancity.com) on Wednesday afternoon. The 34-year-old Argentine international has signed a two-year contract, which will keep him with the "citizens" until the summer of 2028. The transfer fee is €3.5 million (around £1.7 million).
Ruli's role in Enzo Maresca's squad
The experienced goalkeeper returns to the Etihad, where he spent a short period in the 2016/17 season, but then never made an official appearance for the first team. He is now widely considered to be the second choice under the wing and a solid alternative to the undisputed number one Gianluigi Donnarumma. Rulli's transfer was dictated by the departure of James Trafford, who earlier this week joined Leeds United for a fee reaching £45 million.
The Argentine will wear the number 28 shirt in his new team. He told the club's television:
"This is an incredible opportunity for me that I just had to grab. Everyone knows how impressive a club Manchester City is and what high standards they maintain".
Olympique Marseille's financial situation
Roulette's sale is part of a major sell-off at French club Olympique Marseille. The southern French club was fined €10m by UEFA for breaching financial sustainability rules and is forced to balance its books. The situation was further complicated after the team finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season and missed out on the lucrative Champions League spots. For this reason, Marseille has already parted ways with a number of high-paid players such as Facundo Medina (Bayer Leverkusen), Mason Greenwood (Fenerbahce) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Deportivo La Coruña).
In his club career, Rulli has also played for Estudiantes, Real Sociedad, Montpellier, Villarreal and Ajax. He was at the heart of Villarreal's triumph in the Europa League in 2021, when he scored the decisive penalty and saved David de Gea's shot in the epic marathon final against Manchester United. On the international stage, the goalkeeper is a world champion with Argentina in Qatar 2022 and winner of the Copa America in 2024.
Sources of information: Official statement of the "citizens" (mancity.com/news/mens/manchester-city-sign-geronimo-rulli-63922122), a report by BBC Sport (bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cvgwz829l04o), information about the French market from Yahoo Sports (sports.yahoo.com/articles/official-manchester-city-sign-marseille-124500902.html) and a transfer bulletin from the French daily "Equip" via BTA (bta.bg/bg/news/sport/world/1184099-manchestar-siti-kupi-vratarya-na-olimpik-marsiliya-heronimo-ruli-v-poslednata-go).