Newcastle United looks to have found their keeper, with a first bid of £16m being submitted for Burnley man James Trafford.
James Trafford Update
Reports over the weekend have now suggested Newcastle have agreed personal terms with Trafford. However the two clubs remain a little off with the fee. Newcastle are set to come back with a bid of 16m + addons in the coming week.
Trafford had a difficult first season in the Premier League, after having a strong display at the U21 Euro the Summer he was signed. Now, Trafford looks to be on the way back to the Premier League with Newcastle United.
The two clubs are slightly apart on their valuation, with Burnley holding out for closer to £20m for the young keeper. Newcastle submitted an opening offer of £16m, according to the Daily Mail, as talks continue over the weekend.
James Trafford to Newcastle – buy the dip?
The signing of James Trafford is unlikely to inspire a huge level of confidence from a lot of Newcastle fans. However, Trafford is highly regarded by the England setup, even getting a call-up to the England provisional squad ahead of Nick Pope.
Trafford never made the pitch during the pre-Euro matches, he’ll now head off on his Summer break as it looks like he might have a new club ahead of next season.
Trafford arrived at Burnley at the start of the 23/24 campaign and was instantly thrown into the starting spot. However, having started the first 28 games of the campaign, Burnley was struggling and a change was made. If we’re honest, Trafford was probably left in the fire too long, and should have been replaced much sooner.
As for Newcastle, they are looking for a new number 2 behind Nick Pope, and it looks like Trafford is the preferred man by Howe and his team.
Newcastle had been linked to a number of other keepers, but attention has now firmly turned to Trafford as Newcastle look get ahead of other sides like Chelsea, Liverpool, and Bayern who want the young keeper.
