Newcastle United’s move to sign James Trafford from Burnley is heading in the right direction.
With Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili deemed too expensive by Toon officials, a move for the 21-year-old has looked more and more likely.
James Trafford could have an immediate chance to return to the Premier League after relegation with Burnley, and the Athletic recently reportedly that a bid for the youngster from Newcastle was likely.
That proved to be the case, with reports emerging on Saturday that a £16million bid had been made. Newcastle have stepped up their interest in Trafford, at a time when Burnley probably need to sell for financial reasons.
Newcastle United ‘agree’ terms with James Trafford
Newcastle’s bid was £4million shy of Burnley’s valuation of Trafford, and it appears that a new approach is on the way.
That is according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who has provided a fresh and potentially pivotal update on Newcastle United’s interest in James Trafford.
According to Romano, the Magpies have actually agreed personal terms with the former Manchester City stopper.
He wrote on X: “Understand Newcastle have agreed personal terms with James Trafford as priority option to become new goalkeeper. New proposal to Burnley expected soon, in the region of £15million with add-ons based on performances. Man City will receive 20% of the fee from Burnley.”
Good news for Nick Pope as Newcastle eye a number two
With personal terms agreed, Trafford is clearly keen to swap Turf Moor for St James’ Park. And so he should be, despite Eddie Howe not wanting him in to replace Nick Pope.
While that might be the long-term goal, it is not going to happen next season. A deal for Trafford implies that Newcastle are keeping faith in Pope, who has done nothing to warrant losing his place in the starting XI.
That is why the Magpies are moving for Trafford, while their decision has also been influenced by not qualifying for Europe.
Had Newcastle made it into the Conference League, Howe could have justified bringing in someone like Mamardashvili or Aaron Ramsdale. The volume of fixtures would have allowed him to rotate his goalkeepers, but there is now less opportunity to do that.
Therefore, getting someone like Trafford makes sense. He will clearly be a number two on Tyneside, but he certainly has the potential to eventually replace Pope. Trafford did struggle during his debut Premier League season, but Newcastle must believe he has the tools to improve in the coming years.
Newcastle’s interest in Trafford has probably been boosted by the goalkeeper missing out on England’s 26-man squad for Euro 2024. Gareth Southgate dropped seven players from his initial squad, one of which was Trafford.
It was no surprise to see him miss out, and the end of his international duties has probably allowed Newcastle to press ahead with their interest.
They have now agreed personal terms with Trafford, meaning all that is required is to have an offer accepted by Burnley and for the player to pass a medical.
There is still a long way to go, but this deal suddenly looks very likely. Trafford could be the first player to sign for Newcastle this summer, with Lloyd Kelly also expected to arrive from Bournemouth.
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