Giant English clubs, including Chelsea and Liverpool, are circling a young goalkeeper who has been pushed aside by his team and is now seeking a way out.
James Trafford will not lack suitors when the transfer market opens. According to reports, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, and Aston Villa are following the 22-year-old goalkeeper. Newcastle already wanted him last summer, when he played at Burnley, but City matched the offer and brought him back.
The Magpies are still looking for a long-term starting goalkeeper after signing Aaron Ramsdale on loan from Southampton. Ramsdale is already Eddie Howe's first option after Nick Pope's injury. Tottenham are looking for a keeper because Guglielmo Vicario is expected to sign for Inter; however, interest in Trafford would disappear if the club is relegated.
Chelsea have also suffered in goal: Robert Sanchez was discarded by Liam Rosenior before the Champions League round of 16 against PSG; his replacement, Filip Jorgensen, made a mistake in the 5-2 first leg and has not played since.
Alisson Becker could leave Liverpool this summer, one year before his contract ends. His departure would open up the goal at Anfield, although the Reds already signed Giorgi Mamardashvili in 2024 for $29 million to replace him.
Trafford joined City's academy at 12 and spent eight years at the club before signing for Burnley in 2023 for $15 million. He returned last summer after Guardiola's team exercised a clause that allowed them to match any offer. Upon his arrival, he was expected to compete with Ederson for the starting job and to replace him in 2026, when his contract expired.
However, Ederson signed for Fenerbahce, and Trafford started the season as the starter, playing the first three Premier League games. His status as a starter became complicated when, just before the transfer window closed, Gianluigi Donnarumma arrived for $26 million, fresh off winning the Champions League with Paris Saint-Germain.
Since then, Trafford has not played in the Premier League and has been limited to the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup, and one Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen. He has played 14 games in total and has acknowledged that he will review his options in the summer, after returning to City last month with the promise that no other goalkeeper would arrive.
"I did not expect this situation [with Donnarumma], but it happened, so you have to move on," Trafford said in February. "It's already in the past, so I train every day, and we'll see what happens; I give my best. It's football, you have to keep working and, when the game comes, play as well as possible. It's just another experience in my career, and it has been a good learning experience."
Trafford will start in the FA Cup semifinal on Saturday against Southampton at Wembley. In his last game with City at that stadium, he made a triple save in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal and earned his first major title.
He made his senior England debut against Uruguay after shining at the 2023 Under-21 European Championship. His most recent game with City was the 4-0 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinals, where he saved a penalty from Mohamed Salah.
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