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- Maresca says there are “no updates yet” on Rulli or Trafford as both deals remain in progress
- Both Trafford and Rulli remain registered to their current clubs, per the Man City boss
- Maresca says the club will “wait in the next days” for developments on both situations
Enzo Maresca has confirmed there are no immediate updates on Manchester City’s pursuit of Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli or the proposed exit of James Trafford to Leeds United.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s pre-season friendly against K-League All Stars in Seoul, the City boss offered a brief but clear update on two pieces of goalkeeper business that have been building in the background throughout the club’s east Asia tour.
Both deals are understood to be at an advanced stage, though neither has yet been formally concluded as City’s pre-season camp progresses in South Korea.
Maresca on Trafford and Rulli deals: We’re going to wait in the next days
Pressed on progress in the goalkeeping market, Maresca said: “There are no updates yet. James is still a Man City player and Rulli is still a Marseille player. So we’re going to wait in the next days.”
Trafford has not travelled with the City pre-season group after being given additional time to rest and recover on holiday, having featured for England at the FIFA World Cup in North America.
Moreover, academy star Oliver Whatmuff was allowed to join his Stockport County loan earlier than planned after a personnel crisis between the sticks at the League One outfit, making a swift resolution of City’s Trafford problem all the more crucial.
What is the context behind City’s goalkeeper business?
Trafford’s move to Leeds United has been one of the more straightforward pieces of outgoing business of the summer, with the 23-year-old having made clear his desire to leave and find regular first-team football, and both clubs understood to have agreed terms on a deal.
His departure would create a vacancy in City’s goalkeeping depth behind Gianluigi Donnarumma, which is where Rulli enters the picture. The Argentine is understood to have already agreed personal terms on a two-year contract at the Etihad Stadium, with the hold-up centred on the mechanics of his departure from Marseille rather than any disagreement between player and club.
At 33, Rulli is a highly experienced option who has played in multiple top European leagues and brings the kind of senior presence City need in the backup role – a known quantity rather than a developmental project, which is precisely what the goalkeeping situation requires.
Maresca is unlikely to have long to wait. With the Premier League season opening on 23 August against Bournemouth, both the Trafford exit and the Rulli arrival are expected to be formalised well before the squad’s full complement of World Cup returnees arrive for pre-season.
“Not at the moment” – Enzo Maresca provides Man City transfer window update in Seoul press conference
Manchester City forward will miss K-League All Stars friendly with injury, confirms Enzo Maresca
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Source: Cityxtra.co.uk
