Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United are pushing hard to acquire the services of Burnley shot-stopper James Trafford.
According to a report from The Sun, Newcastle United are looking to reinforce the goalkeeping position and they are plotting a £20 million raid on Burnley for their young English goalkeeper James Trafford.
The 22-year-old shot-stopper was a part of the Manchester City youth setup. He went up the ranks at some pace but ended up parting ways with them in the summer of 2023 in search of regular first-team action.
Trafford has only gone from strength to strength since joining the Clarets. He has been in sensational form this season as he has kept 13 clean sheets in 22 Championship outings. He has only let in nine goals so far and his outstanding performances haven’t gone unnoticed.
Newcastle keen on signing Trafford
Newcastle United are long-term admirers of the young goalkeeper. They tried to sign him during the summer with a £15 million bid but that offer was rejected. The Magpies are looking to once again knock on the door of Burnley, this time around they will have to fork out around £20 million as his asking price has gone up.
While Eddie Howe already has Nick Pope as his number one, the Tyneside club are looking to further bolster that position by signing Trafford. He can compete with Pope for a place in the starting XI and eventually be their undisputed number one.
Burnley’s stance on Trafford’s future
The Championship outfit don’t really want to lose out on the 22-year-old as he could be key to their chances of promotion. He is one of the reasons why they currently occupy one of the automatic qualification spots. As a result, manager Scott Parker is reluctant to sanction his departure.
But, if the Magpies do come up with a substantial offer they can consider letting him leave as it will allow them to raise funds to reinforce their squad in January and give a push to their promotion hopes.
They already have Vaclac Hladky in their squad. He can be their number one going forward having guided Ipswich to promotion last time out. The Magpies want to ensure they get their hands on Trafford and it will be interesting to see if they can strike a deal with Burnley.
