
Manchester City to re-sign goalkeeper James Trafford in £27m deal
Trafford, a product of City's youth academy, joined Burnley in July 2023 in a transfer that included performance-based add-ons and was valued at up to £19 million.
His standout performances last season were instrumental in Burnley's promotion to the Premier League under Scott Parker. He recorded 29 clean sheets in 45 Championship appearances and was named in the division's Team of the Year.
Although City included a buy-back clause in the original agreement, the club did not activate it directly. Instead, they exercised matching rights after Newcastle United submitted a £27 million bid for the England youth international, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein.
🚨 Manchester City to sign James Trafford from Burnley. Sold at £14m & purchasing for £27m so buy-back cost ~£13m. Activated matching rights on #NUFC offer & 22yo picked #MCFC - 5+1yr contract. Ederson staying, Ortega to go but nothing close @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/w3gJa6OJN2 — David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 25, 2025
He will become the fourth senior goalkeeper in Pep Guardiola's squad, joining Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Marcus Bettinelli. Trafford is expected to compete with Ederson, who has served as City's first-choice goalkeeper for eight years.
Ederson is in the final 12 months of his contract and has recently been linked with Turkish side Galatasaray, though no formal offers have been received. Meanwhile, Ortega's future at the club remains uncertain.
Trafford joined City's youth ranks in 2015 but never made a senior appearance for the club. He had loan spells with Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers before establishing himself at Burnley.
The goalkeeper is expected to sign a five-year contract with City, with an option to extend by a further year.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Manchester City to re-sign goalkeeper James Trafford in £27m deal
Manchester City are set to re-sign goalkeeper James Trafford from Burnley in a deal worth £27 million, just two years after the 22-year-old left the Etihad Stadium to join the Clarets. Trafford, a product of City's youth academy, joined Burnley in July 2023 in a transfer that included performance-based add-ons and was valued at up to £19 million. His standout performances last season were instrumental in Burnley's promotion to the Premier League under Scott Parker. He recorded 29 clean sheets in 45 Championship appearances and was named in the division's Team of the Year. Although City included a buy-back clause in the original agreement, the club did not activate it directly. Instead, they exercised matching rights after Newcastle United submitted a £27 million bid for the England youth international, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein. 🚨 Manchester City to sign James Trafford from Burnley. Sold at £14m & purchasing for £27m so buy-back cost ~£13m. Activated matching rights on #NUFC offer & 22yo picked #MCFC - 5+1yr contract. Ederson staying, Ortega to go but nothing close @TheAthleticFC — David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 25, 2025 He will become the fourth senior goalkeeper in Pep Guardiola's squad, joining Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Marcus Bettinelli. Trafford is expected to compete with Ederson, who has served as City's first-choice goalkeeper for eight years. Ederson is in the final 12 months of his contract and has recently been linked with Turkish side Galatasaray, though no formal offers have been received. Meanwhile, Ortega's future at the club remains uncertain. Trafford joined City's youth ranks in 2015 but never made a senior appearance for the club. He had loan spells with Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers before establishing himself at Burnley. The goalkeeper is expected to sign a five-year contract with City, with an option to extend by a further year.


Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business Recorder
England's Kelly grateful for moments like Tuesday after rocky club season
GENEVA: After Chloe Kelly smashed in her own rebound that lifted England into the Euro 2025 final, she struck a casual pose at the corner flag, one hand on the flag, another on her hip, and smiled up at the England fans. Kelly's 119th-minute winner was the punctuation mark on a nervy come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Italy that sends the reigning champions into their third consecutive final of a major tournament. They will play either world champions Spain or Germany on Sunday. Asked where she gets her confidence, Kelly said: 'Myself.' 'The moments when in January I felt like giving up football makes you so grateful for these moments here today, and this makes you enjoy every minute of that,' said Kelly, who did her trademark prancing penalty run-up. 'I think confidence comes from within, but from around you as well. The players that we stand side by side with on the pitch, give confidence in each other.' Back in January, there were doubts the 27-year-old would be in the Euros squad because she was barely playing for Manchester City. She made a public plea to leave City to secure more playing time and improve her odds. Kelly's plea worked as she spent the rest of the season on a successful loan spell with Arsenal, and then signed a permanent deal with the London club. Sunday's final will be the fifth in a major tournament for coach Sarina Wiegman, who said the night felt like a 'movie' with 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang striking the equaliser in the 96th minute to send the game into extra time. 'It was a little bit dramatic. At the 88th minute, I thought 'We have to score now or we have a problem,'' Wiegman said, laughing. England fight back to down Italy in extra time and reach Euro 2025 final Wiegman heaped praise on Agyemang, who almost scored again with an effort deep into the second half of extra time, but clanged her shot off the crossbar. 'She's only 19 years old and she's very mature, she knows exactly what she needs to do,' Wiegman said. 'When you came into our team late, right before the Euro…but she's really mature already and brings something different, and that's what she showed today. 'That ball she hit against the crossbar - it was spectacular.' The one negative on the night was Lauren James limping off with an ankle injury to end the first half. Wiegman said James, who sat on the bench with a bag of ice on the ankle, will be reassessed on Wednesday.


Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Express Tribune
Childhood fan Mbeumo joins Man Utd re-build
Bryan Mbeumo came through Troyes' academy before joining Brentford in 2019. Photo: AFP/File Cameroon winger Bryan Mbeumo said he "grew up wearing" the Manchester United shirt after joining the club from Brentford on a deal until 2030, with an option for a further year. Mbeumo, 25, will reportedly cost the 20-time Premier League champions an initial £65 million ($87 million) having scored 20 goals in 38 league games last season for the Bees. Tottenham, now managed by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, were also chasing the France-born attacker before United's improved offer sealed the move. United's third bid, worth an initial £65m with £6m in add-ons, was accepted last week. "As soon as I knew there was a chance to join Manchester United, I had to take the opportunity to sign for the club of my dreams," Mbeumo said in a United statement. "The team whose shirt I wore growing up. "This is a massive club, with an incredible stadium and amazing fans, we are all really determined to challenge for the biggest trophies," he added. United coach Ruben Amorim has signed two other players during this summer in an attempt to avoid a repeat of last season's catastrophic display. They lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final and a 15th-place finish in the top flight was their lowest since 1973-74. Wolves forward Matheus Cunha and teenage Paraguayan defender Diego Leon have also moved to Old Trafford. 'Primary target' Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee struggled as Amorim's main strikers last term. "My mentality is to always be better than I was yesterday," Mbeumo said. "I know that I have the spirit and character to reach another level here learning from Ruben Amorim and playing alongside world-class players. Mbeumo blossomed in six years at Brentford, scoring 70 goals and providing 51 assists in 242 appearances in all competitions following his move from French club Troyes in 2019. "There is always a right time for a player to move on and, for Bryan, that time is now," Brentford director of football Phil Giles said. "He has the opportunity to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world, and we are very happy for him," he added. Mbeumo helped the Bees win promotion to the Premier League in 2021 and was instrumental in their impressive 10th-place finish in 2024-25. "We are delighted to have secured another one of our primary targets ahead of the pre-season tour," the Red Devils' director of football Jason Wilcox said. "The experience in the US will be the perfect opportunity for Bryan to work with Ruben and his new team-mates as we prepare for an exciting season ahead," he added. In terms of United outgoings, Marcus Rashford is set to leave his boyhood club for Barcelona and an announcement could come on Tuesday. Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia continue looking for new clubs and are not expected to fly to the US as part of the tour squad. United start their pre-season tour of the United States on Sunday by facing West Ham before their opening game of the new Premier League season against Arsenal on August 17.