James Trafford to Man City: Reduced transfer fee, medical date, contract length revealed as ‘deal agreed’ with Burnley

Manchester City have reportedly reached an agreement with Burnley to re-sign goalkeeper James Trafford this summer.

The Citizens made contact with the Clarets earlier this month to explore a deal to bring the highly-rated 22-year-old back to the Etihad Stadium where he was on the books between 2015 and 2023.

Trafford never made a single senior appearance during his time at Man City and was instead loaned out to Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers before securing a £15m move to Burnley, where he has elevated his game to new heights.

His impressive rise began when he inspired England to glory at the Under-21 European Championship in 2023, before establishing himself as one of the brightest young goalkeepers in the country at Burnley, who clinched automatic promotion back to the Premier League last season.

Burnley secured second place with 100 points and their success in the Championship was built on the foundations of a rock solid defence, with Trafford conceding a league-low 16 goals and keeping a league-high 29 clean sheets in 45 matches to claim the Golden Glove.

Man City agree reduced fee with Burnley to re-sign Trafford

Trafford has entered the final two years of his contract at Turf Moor and has been tipped to move to a bigger club, with Newcastle United having held a strong interest in the goalkeeper throughout this summer.

The Magpies had an opportunity to sign Trafford at the end of May, prior to the FIFA Club World Cup when Man City were not considering a move for a new goalkeeper, but Pep Guardiola’s plans have now changed ahead of the new season.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Man City have agreed a deal with Burnley to re-sign Trafford for a fee under the value of his £40m buy-back clause that was inserted when he move to Turf Moor two years ago.

Romano adds that Trafford is set to undergo his medical early next week, with the main part of those tests to take place on Monday.

A separate report from The Athletic claims that Man City have matched an offer from Newcastle of £27m to sign Trafford, who has agreed a five-year contract plus the option of a further 12 months to return to the Etihad.

Trafford, who could be handed the No.1 shirt at Man City, has been described as a “extremely confident” and “very talented young goalkeeper” by Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany, and he believes that the Englishman has the potential to be City’s first-choice goalkeeper for a decade.

Ederson to stay, Ortega to leave as Trafford closes in on Man City return

Man City have decided to step up their interest in Trafford amidst uncertainty over the future of first-choice goalkeeper Ederson, who has been linked with a move to Galatasaray and clubs in Saudi Arabia.

However, Ederson did play down “fake news” last month and the six-time Premier League winner revealed that he plans to stay at Man City where he has one year remaining on his contract.

According to The Athletic, the expectation is that Stefan Ortega could still leave the Citizens this summer, but ‘nothing is close’ at present.

Ortega has had to play second fiddle behind Ederson for the majority of his time at the Etihad since joining the club in 2022, but at the age of 32, he is now believed to be keen to gain regular first-team football.

The German has previously been linked with a return to the Bundesliga, while it was recently suggested that Burnley have identified the goalkeeper as a potential replacement for Trafford.