James Trafford would be Leeds’ fourth England player in 20 years | OneFootball

Leeds United are closing in on the signing of James Trafford from Manchester City in a club-record move. If completed, he would be only Leeds’ fourth player in 20 years to feature for England while on the books.

According to Leedsunited.news, Trafford is set to become the third arrival of the summer, after Harry Wilson on a free and Tarik Muharemovic for £34m.

The proposed fee would make him England’s most expensive goalkeeper, eclipsing Jordan Pickford’s £30m switch to Everton. The move is seen as a statement of intent.

Newcastle United and Chelsea have also been linked, and the transfer would mean a current England international choosing Elland Road.

Only three players have represented England while contracted to Leeds in the last 20 years. Kalvin Phillips was capped after promotion in 2020, Patrick Bamford then started against Andorra following his 2020-21 form, and there was a third last season.

Leeds would spend north of £40m, with £5m in add-ons agreed. It is a sizeable outlay for a goalkeeper, but Trafford could be first choice for the next decade, or be sold for profit within two years for Daniel Farke’s side.

Source: Leedsunited.news