Why Man City want James Trafford back? | OneFootball

Manchester City are on the verge of bringing back James Trafford from Burnley, with the 22-year-old goalkeeper expected to rejoin his boyhood club in a £27 million deal.

Trafford, who came through City’s youth system, originally departed for Burnley in the summer of 2023 in a move that could’ve reached £19 million.

He was one of several young prospects brought in by then-Clarets boss Vincent Kompany to take on the challenge of Premier League football following their title-winning Championship season.

Thrown straight into top-tier action without any prior Premier League experience, Trafford found the step up a tough learning curve. Like many of his teammates, he struggled to get to grips with the demands of top-flight football.

But the young stopper bounced back in style in the Championship under Scott Parker last season. He delivered an outstanding campaign between the sticks, registering 29 clean sheets in 45 matches and playing a huge part in Burnley’s immediate return to the Premier League. His efforts earned him a spot in the Championship Team of the Season.

Trafford also broke a league record with 12 clean sheets on the bounce between December and February, a streak that only ended in March during a 2-1 win over Cardiff.

City had cleverly inserted both a buy-back clause and matching rights in Trafford’s Burnley contract and they’ve now triggered those rights to match a £27m offer recently made by Newcastle. Trafford has reportedly chosen a return to the Etihad over a move to St James’ Park.

He’s expected to put pen to paper on a five-year contract, with the option for a sixth year, making him the sixth addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad this summer after the arrivals of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Sverre Nypan, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Marcus Bettinelli.

On the international front, Trafford has represented England across various youth levels and was a standout figure in the Young Lions’ successful 2023 European Under-21 Championship campaign — keeping six clean sheets and not conceding once throughout the tournament. He received his first senior call-up in 2024, though he’s yet to make his full debut.

His return isn’t just valuable in terms of squad depth - Trafford also helps City meet UEFA’s homegrown player quota. For the Champions League, clubs must include at least eight club-trained or locally developed players in their 25-man List A, making his signing a smart and strategic move for the club.