Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford is the subject of renewed interest from Premier League side Newcastle United, as reported by Team Talk.
The Magpies were interested in the England Under 21 international earlier in the summer and reportedly offered £16 million for his services. Negotiations broke down as the Clarets wanted a fee of £30 million.
It was something of a baptism of fire for the 21-year-old during the last campaign, jumping from a League One loan at Bolton Wanderers to being a Premier League number one.
Despite Burnley’s struggles, the young stopper drew many admirers and his form even saw him named in Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad for the European Championships.
Trafford performed well in commanding his area, only made one error leading to a goal and, unsurprisingly, ranked highly with the number of shots saved.
Burnley boss Scott Parker has three goalkeepers vying for the number one shirt at Turf Moor so, should Trafford leave, he will have the opportunity to assess his other options.
Vaclav Hladky has joined from Ipswich Town, with Arijanet Muric moving in the opposite direction, while Etienne Green has also bolstered the goalkeeping ranks after joking from French side Saint-Etienne.
Newcastle reportedly sees Trafford as someone to act as an understudy to another former Burnley keeper, Nick Pope. The former Manchester City academy product would provide competition for Pope before eventually becoming his long-term successor.
Eddie Howe has already added to his goalkeeping department with the capture of Odysseas Vlachodimos from Nottingham Forest for around £20 million and John Ruddy on a free transfer from Birmingham City.
Writer’s View
It looks as if Newcastle are ready to offer closer to the £30 million asking price and so the decision is set to come down to the player.
It is an interesting choice for the 21-year-old as he looks set to be Burnley’s number one but could find himself behind Pope and a £20 million signing at St James’ Park.
Moving to the Premier League is, of course, appealing but could a move to sit on the bench do Trafford’s England prospects more harm than good?
He is obviously a talented young shot-stopper and Newcastle will be looking to the future when striking this deal and the potential that he has. For Burnley, £30 million with two goalkeepers already in place also represents a good deal.
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