AFCON 2025
Manchester City are poised to bring back England Under-21 goalkeeper James Trafford for £27m, two years after his £19m move to Burnley in July 2023.
The 22-year-old, a product of City’s academy, excelled last season, helping Scott Parker’s Burnley secure promotion to the Premier League with 29 clean sheets in 45 Championship matches, earning a spot in the division’s team of the year.
City, holding a buy-back clause and matching rights, activated the latter to match a £27m offer from Newcastle, with Trafford choosing to return to the Etihad. He is set to sign a five-year deal with an option for an additional year.
The plan is for Trafford to compete with Brazil’s Ederson, City’s first-choice goalkeeper for eight years, potentially even displacing him.
Ederson, in the final year of his contract, has been linked with Galatasaray but dismissed exit rumors as “99% fake news” last month.
No bids have been made for the 31-year-old, though the arrival of Trafford raises questions about German Ortega’s future due to increased competition.
Trafford joined City’s academy in 2015, but never played for their first team and had loan spells at Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers.
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