Newcastle United have moved into pole position to sign James Trafford this summer.
According to Football Insider, the Magpies lead the race for the Manchester City goalkeeper, who wants regular football after slipping down the pecking order. Aston Villa are also keen.
Trafford’s frustration is easy to understand. The 23-year-old returned to City only last summer, expecting to be their number one.
Weeks later, the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma from PSG pushed him back to a cup role.
Newcastle target James Trafford move
His game time duly dried up. Trafford made just four league appearances last season, though he impressed in the EFL Cup, keeping a clean sheet in the final win over Arsenal. Such outings, however, fall short of his ambitions.
Now he wants assurances elsewhere. Trafford requires a guarantee of first-choice football at any new club, having been burned by his City experience. Newcastle, sources say, are best placed to provide it.
There is history between the parties, too. The Magpies tried to sign him last summer while he was at Burnley, only for City to trigger a matching clause and re-sign him themselves. Newcastle are now ready for a second attempt.
They have already strengthened in the position. Newcastle paid around £24m for 20-year-old Ewen Jaouen from Reims, though he is expected to develop behind an established number one rather than start immediately.
City, for their part, appear willing to let Trafford go. They accept that cup appearances will not satisfy a player of his ambition, and have lined up Sheffield Wednesday’s Pierce Charles as a potential deputy to Donnarumma.
Trafford’s future is expected to be settled after the World Cup. He is currently with England in North America as understudy to Jordan Pickford, having kept his place in Thomas Tuchel’s squad despite the testing season.
