Man City to re-sign Trafford – why Guardiola wants keeper back

Manchester City are set to re-sign England Under-21 goalkeeper James Trafford for £27m, two years after he left to join Burnley.

The 22-year-old City academy graduate signed for the Clarets in a deal worth up to £19m in July 2023.

He impressed last season as Scott Parker’s side won promotion back to the Premier League – keeping 29 clean sheets across 45 Championship games – and was named in the division’s team of the year.

City had a buy-back clause for Trafford and also matching rights, allowing them to match any offer from another club.

They have done so following Newcastle’s £27m bid – and Trafford has opted for a return to Manchester.

He will be the fourth goalkeeper at manager Pep Guardiola’s disposal, with Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Marcus Bettinelli already at the club.

It is anticipated Trafford will challenge Brazil’s Ederson, who has been first choice for eight years, for the number one spot.

Ederson is in the final year of his contract and has been linked with a move to Galatasaray, but last month described rumours of a departure “99% fake news”.

City have not received any bids for the 31-year-old, but there are doubts about the future of German Ortega given the increased competition for game time once Trafford arrives.

Trafford signed for City’s academy in 2015 but did not make a first-team appearance and spent time on loan at Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers.

He has appeared for Burnley 73 times, including 28 in the Premier League in the 2023-24 season.

Trafford has represented England from Under-17 to Under-21 level, and was part of the winning European Championship squad of 2023, during which he kept six clean sheets and did not concede a goal.

He received his first senior international call-up in 2024 but has yet to make his debut at that level.

If he returns to the Etihad he will be City’s sixth signing of the window after midfielders Tijjani Reijnders (initial fee of £46.5m), Rayan Cherki (initial fee of £30.5m) and Sverre Nypan (£12.5m); left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri (£31m) and Bettinelli (nominal fee).

Manchester City insert buy-back clauses when they sell players yet tend not to activate them when those academy products move on.

But this is an example of why they put them in the deals, as it has proven helpful in the ability to buy back a talented player on this occasion.

Having served an impressive apprenticeship at Turf Moor, City believe they can develop him into a top goalkeeper – one who is already ready for the Premier League.

Trafford conceded just 16 league goals with Burnley last term and kept a Championship-best 30 clean sheets, equalling Port Vale’s Football League record which was set 71 years ago.

He also set a new Championship record of 12 consecutive shutouts between December and February before he was finally beaten in a 2-1 victory at Cardiff City at the start of March.

But despite his stellar performances in the second tier last season, the 22-year-old lacks a degree of top-flight experience and only 28 of his 153 senior appearances have been in the Premier League.

Trafford’s shot-stopping is undoubtedly first rate and his save percentage stands at almost 85% last season.

That figure far exceeds the numbers posted by both Ederson and Stefan Ortega, although Trafford was largely facing inferior opposition at Championship level.

But he will have to develop his distribution if he is to fit into Guardiola’s side and system as his pass completion of 70% is comfortably lower than that of Manchester City’s current goalkeepers.