Benjamin Siegrist is preparing to conclude his time at Rapid Bucharest despite having one year remaining on his contract with the club. The 34-year-old Swiss goalkeeper is returning to Romania solely to formalize the termination of his contract, as he has no intention of playing another match for the team.
Currently on loan at Genoa, a club financed by Dan Șucu, Siegrist’s second loan spell will officially end on June 30. However, this return to Rapid is strictly administrative, as the goalkeeper aims to terminate his contract and has no plans to continue his career in Romania’s Superliga.
Siegrist Seeks Contract Termination with Rapid
The Swiss player has already garnered interest from various teams in Serie B and the Swiss club Lugano, suggesting that his future lies outside Romania. Siegrist joined Rapid two years ago at the request of Neil Lennon after departing from Celtic, but his time at the club has been brief.
In January 2025, he was initially loaned to Genoa for the second half of the season, where he made two appearances. In the recently concluded season, he remained with Genoa but played only once, in a Coppa Italia match where Genoa suffered a heavy 0-4 defeat to Atalanta. A finger fracture sidelined him for much of the season.
Throughout his tenure at Rapid, Siegrist made 13 appearances, five of which were without conceding a goal. According to Transfermarkt, his market value is approximately €400,000.
Conflict with Coach Influences Departure
Siegrist’s departure from Rapid is also affected by the manner in which his experience with the club concluded. His relationship with former Rapid coach Marius Șumudică soured during a training camp in Dubai, leading to a spontaneous conflict that severed his ties with the club.
Shortly afterward, Rapid’s management chose to loan him to Genoa, coinciding with the arrival of goalkeeper Franz Stolz, resulting in a mutual exchange of goalkeepers for the second part of the season.
Although he did not receive much playing time at Genoa, his experience in Serie A reinforced his decision to avoid returning to Romanian football.
Siegrist participated with Switzerland in the 2012 London Olympics. Following his time in England with Aston Villa, he returned to Switzerland to play for FC Vaduz before making a transfer that revitalized his career at Dundee United.
He became one of the most respected goalkeepers in the Scottish league, surpassing 120 matches for Dundee United. In the 2020-2021 season, he recorded the most saves in the Premiership, with 131, leading to his transfer to Celtic a year later.
Rapid’s Transfer Market Activity
Coach: Daniel Pancu (new)
Arrivals: Mohammed Kamara (CFR Cluj), Vladan Bubanja (Orenburg)
Returning Players: Rareș Pop (Petrolul), Timotej Jambor (Slask Wroclaw), Radu Maria (Fundulea), Antoine Baroan (Avs FS), Robert Bădescu (Metaloglobus), Cristian Ignat (Petrolul), Luka Gojkovic (UTA Arad), Albert Cuculescu (CSM Vaslui), Omar El Sawy (U Cluj), Raul Stanciu (CS Tunari), Bogdan Ungureanu (Sepsi)
Departures: Tobias Christensen (Wieczysta Cracovia), Elvir Koljic (free agent), Diogo Mendes (free agent), Daniel Paraschiv (Real Oviedo), Leo Bolgado (CFR Cluj)
