Leicester City and Southampton FC eye James Trafford, Man City transfer agreement | OneFootball

James Trafford's future at Man City is already uncertain after rejoining the club in the summer.

Leicester City and Southampton are both keen on a deal to sign James Trafford on loan from Manchester City in the January window.

According to Teamtalk, the goalkeeper’s future at the Etihad is already up in the air after rejoining the club during the summer.

The shot-stopper came through the Premier League side’s academy system before moving to Burnley in 2023 after a successful loan spell at Bolton Wanderers.

The 22-year-old featured in Pep Guardiola’s starting lineup in the opening fixtures of the new top flight campaign, replacing Ederson following his move to Turkey.

However, the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma on deadline day has seen Trafford dropped to the bench since the international break.

Leicester and Southampton eye James Trafford, Man City deal

It has been reported that both Leicester and Southampton are interested in a loan move for Trafford when the transfer window reopens in January.

However, they are likely to face stiff competition for his signature, with a number of Premier League and Championship sides understood to be monitoring the situation.

It’s believed the goalkeeper is keen to play regularly ahead of the World Cup this summer, as he looks to compete for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England plans.

Trafford is said to be considering a temporary exit from Man City already, as he is aware that sitting on the bench all season will significantly hurt his chances of usurping Everton's Jordan Pickford as the Three Lions' number one goalkeeper.

It was reported in the summer that the Manchester outfit agreed a £27 million deal with Burnley to sign the goalkeeper, who proved crucial to the Clarets' promotion success under Scott Parker last season.

He conceded four goals in three Premier League games this term before being dropped to the bench in favour of Donnarumma, including in defeats to both Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton prior to the international break.

Trafford was exceptional in the Championship last season, keeping 29 clean sheets and conceding just 16 times in the Championship for Burnley, and as such would be a superb loan signing for either Southampton or Leicester to make.

The Foxes sold Mads Harmensen in the summer, replacing him with his backup Jakob Stolarczyk, who has been solid enough in the Foxes goal, conceding five times and keeping three clean sheets from the opening six games of the season.

Therefore, the Polish keeper may feel slightly hard done by if he was to be replaced, as he certainly looks to be a good enough option to warrant retaining the starting role for Marti Cifuentes.

Meanwhile, Gavin Bazunu has come under fire from Saints supporters for his performances for the club in the past, and the Republic of Ireland international hasn't enjoyed a great start to this season either.

The 23-year-old has shipped nine goals and kept just one clean sheet from the opening six league games, and has a save percentage of just 47.1 per cent, as per FotMob.

However, Southampton's only other senior options are 31-year-old Norwich City loanee George Long, and 35-year-old veteran Alex McCarthy.

Therefore, there is no doubt that Trafford would get the game time he is seeking with either of these clubs, which could be crucial to his World Cup hopes.