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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

2 clusters · 16 sources · 13 days · First seen 15 days ago · Last updated 2 days ago

Categories: SPORTS

Mitchel Bakker transfer saga

Entities: Timothy Weah · Guillaume Restes · Manchester City Football Club · Bruno Genesio · Gregory Lorenz

Overview

In mid‑July 2026, Scottish club Celtic signalled a strong interest in Dutch left‑back Mitchel Bakker, who is on Atalanta’s books but deemed surplus after limited playing time following a cruciate‑ligament injury. Atalanta have priced him at about €2.5 million and the player’s contract runs until June 2027, with Celtic competing against clubs from Italy, Turkey and France.

A week later, Olympique de Marseille’s new coach Bruno Genesio also identified Bakker as a priority target to bolster the right‑back position. Genesio described the defender as a cost‑effective option, noting previous working relations with Lille, and said the club would continue scouting for a right‑winger as well, mentioning American winger Timothy Weah as a possible candidate.

Both clubs remain in early‑stage negotiations, and Bakker’s personal preference will influence his eventual destination.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 8 SOURCES] Manchester City are targeting Gerónimo Rulli as a backup goalkeeper. (transfer target)
[● 7 SOURCES] Gerónimo Rulli's market value is estimated at €6 million‑€10 million. (valuation estimate)
[● 5 SOURCES] Gerónimo Rulli is under contract with Olympique de Marseille until June 2027. (player contract)
[● 5 SOURCES] James Trafford is expected to transfer to Leeds United. (player transfer rumor)
[● 5 SOURCES] Manchester City aim to sign Gerónimo Rulli before the start of the new season. (transfer intent)
[● 3 SOURCES] Olympique Marseille consider Guillaume Restes the preferred successor goalkeeper to Gerónimo Rulli. (club planning)
[● 2 SOURCES] Enzo Maresca is the manager of Manchester City overseeing the potential Rulli signing.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Rulli previously joined Manchester City in 2016 but never made a competitive appearance and was loaned back to Real Sociedad.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Rulli was part of the Argentina squad that won the 2022 World Cup and were runners‑up at the 2026 World Cup.
[○ 1 SOURCE] Manchester City have reached an agreement in principle with Gerónimo Rulli for a contract until June 2028. (transfer agreement)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Gerónimo Rulli kept eight clean sheets in 29 Ligue 1 appearances for Marseille. (performance statistic)

Timeline

2 days ago

[SPORTS] 14 sources
Gerónimo Rulli set for Manchester City move as backup goalkeeper
Gerónimo Rulli, Marseille’s goalkeeper, is set to join Manchester City as a backup to Donnarumma after James Trafford heads to Leeds; a €6‑10 m fee and a contract to 2028 are reported, with Guillaume Restes eye
15 days ago

[SPORTS] 2 sources
Celtic eyes Dutch left‑back Mitchel Bakker in €2.5 m transfer push
Celtic are monitoring Dutch left‑back Mitchel Bakker, listed at €2.5 m by Atalanta, amid interest from clubs in Italy, Turkey and France.

Sources

butfootballclub.fr · caughtoffside.com · diariopanorama.com · foot-sur7.fr · foot01.com · football.fr · football365.fr · footballclubdemarseille.fr · footballtoday.com · insidefutbol.com · news.maxifoot.fr · ommercato.com · quilmespresente.com · sport1.pl · voetbalzone.nl · volley24.pl

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history