Manchester City are set to re-sign English goalkeeper James Trafford from Burnley in a deal worth £27 million, two years after he departed from the Etihad.
James Trafford, 22, a product of City’s academy, left the club in July 2023 to join Burnley in a deal reportedly valued at up to £19 million with add-ons.
He impressed last season under manager Scott Parker, helping the Clarets secure promotion to the Premier League with 29 clean sheets in 45 Championship matches. He was later named in the division’s Team of the Season.
City had a buy-back clause and matching rights in Trafford’s previous deal and opted to exercise their rights after Newcastle United submitted a £27 million bid for the goalkeeper. Trafford chose to return to City, where he is expected to sign a five-year contract with an option for a sixth year.
The England Under-21 international will become City’s fourth-choice goalkeeper behind Ederson, Stefan Ortega, and Marcus Bettinelli, although he is expected to challenge Ederson for the number one spot.
Ederson, who has held the starting role for the past eight years, is in the final year of his contract and has been linked with a move to Galatasaray. However, the Brazilian dismissed the reports in June, saying the rumours were “99% fake news.”
No formal offers have been received for Ederson so far, but Ortega’s future at the club is also in doubt due to limited playing time.
Trafford joined City’s academy in 2015 but never made a senior appearance for the club. He had loan spells at Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers before moving to Burnley.
If confirmed, he will be Manchester City’s sixth signing of the summer transfer window following the arrivals of Tijjani Reijnders (£46.5m), Rayan Cherki (£30.45m), Sverre Nypan (£12.5m), Rayan Aït-Nouri (£31m), and Marcus Bettinelli (nominal fee).
City also spent £200 million in the January window to cover injury concerns.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are expected to complete the signing of Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon this weekend.
BBC Sport reports that a £63.5 million deal is close to being finalised, with only negotiations over add-ons delaying the announcement.
The 27-year-old has been cleared to travel for his medical and is expected to sign a five-year contract.
Gyokeres scored 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting last season and helped the club win back-to-back Primeira Liga titles.
He previously played for Brighton and Coventry City, where he scored 43 goals in 116 appearances and earned a place in the Championship Team of the Season for 2022-2023.
He has 26 caps for Sweden and has scored 15 goals since making his debut in 2019.
Note that Arsenal turned their focus to Gyokeres after a failed attempt to sign Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig. The Gunners are currently on their pre-season tour in Singapore.
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