Manchester City star handed get-out-of-jail free card by AC Milan – January sale looking increasingly likely | OneFootball

Manchester City’s second-choice goalkeeper James Trafford could be on his way out of the Premier League as a colossal Italian club are set to be lining up an offer for the 23-year-old, according to reports.

Since his arrival to Manchester on the final day of the summer transfer window, Gianluigi Donnarumma has been adored by Pep Guardiola after quickly establishing himself as the club’s first-choice shotstopper – leaving Trafford in limbo and out of favour at the Etihad Stadium.

After joining City in 2015, Trafford progressed through the club’s academy before joining Burnley in 2023 on a permanent deal. At Turf Moor, the England international experienced everything between relegation and promotion and played in the Premier League for the Clarets under Scott Parker last term.

City activated a buy-back clause in Trafford’s contract and secured his return to the Etihad Stadium this summer, with director of football Hugo Viana introducing sweeping changes to Guardiola’s squad and in particular, the goalkeeping department.

Trafford returned to his boyhood club in July with the outlook that he would be City’s first-choice goalkeeper for the seasons to come; that was until Donnarumma completed a sensational deadline day transfer to the Etihad Stadium from Paris Saint-Germain after City allowed Ederson to leave for Fenerbahce.

The former Burnley man’s second stint at Manchester City has so far largely been spent on the bench as he continues to struggle for minutes. Most recently, he played 90 minutes in a 2-0 UEFA Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen a few weeks ago – though the Englishman was not to blame as such for either goal his side shipped.

In fact, since Donnarumma joined City, Trafford has not played in the Premier League – as the former continues to benefit from his fast start to life in England in the backdrop of an eventful summer, wherein the Italy international fell out with PSG bosses just months after leading the recent treble winners to their first UEFA Champions League honour.

Owing to a concerning lack of minutes, an early exit from Manchester City is becoming a more believable thought for Trafford, who is attracting strong interest from AC Milan, as reported by IlMilanista and relayed by Sport Witness.

The Italian giants are looking for a long-term replacement for Mike Maignan, whose contract at the San Siro runs out in the summer of 2026. Trafford has been described as a ‘sensational coup’ should AC Milan secure his arrival from England in January 2026.

Manchester City and Guardiola do not wish to sanction an exit for Trafford next month and consider him part of their plans but the club will likely not stand in their academy graduate’s way should he express a desire to part ways.

Trafford is under contract till 2030 and Manchester City will only consider selling if an offer matches the £27 million fee the Blues spent to bring him back from Burnley in the recent transfer window. 

As it turns out, a move to the Serie A is an attractive proposition for Trafford, who would become AC Milan’s first-choice goalkeeper after Maignan’s exit. Maignan has played 177 times for the Rossoneri since his arrival from Lille in 2021.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side currently lead the Italian top-flight and if that is to remain, it provides a tough but unique test for Trafford if he is to move to the north of Italy. Though Guardiola won’t want to let the Trafford go, the City graduate and his representatives will certainly search for alternative destinations – whether in January 2026 or next summer.