caughtoffside
·6 February 2026
Leeds United rival Tottenham & Aston Villa for player hailed "incredible" by Guardiola

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·6 February 2026

Leeds United are reportedly among a number of clubs eyeing up Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford as a summer transfer window target.
The 23-year-old hasn’t played much since joining Man City in the summer, and one imagines his situation might attract a lot of interest if it doesn’t change soon.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke is keen to strengthen in goal, and it seems Trafford is a name on the club’s radar, according to TEAMtalk.
The report also names Tottenham and Aston Villa as admirers of the England Under-21 international, so this might not be an easy race for Leeds to win.
Trafford looked like a top young talent at former club Burnley, and he probably thought he was moving to the Etihad Stadium to become City’s number one.
Pep Guardiola described Trafford as “incredible”, as per BBC Sport, but actions speak louder than words and it’s clearly Gianluigi Donnarumma who’s the number one for City.

James Trafford in action for Manchester City (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
The Italy international ended up joining later in the summer, but he’s clearly the bigger name and more proven performer at this level, so that doesn’t bode well for Trafford.
Trafford will perhaps regret his move to City, so he needs to choose his next club very carefully in order to ensure he will end up playing regularly.
Leeds seems a fairly safe bet from that point of view, as he’d surely be a clear upgrade on the likes of Karl Darlow and Illan Meslier.
Tottenham would probably also make Trafford their number one after unconvincing performances from Guglielmo Vicario since he joined.
Villa, meanwhile, currently have Emiliano Martinez as their number one, so that might be a trickier one for Trafford, unless of course the Midlands outfit end up selling the Argentine this summer.








































