Newcastle United close in on second major signing after Anthony Elanga as manager accepts sale
James Trafford is expected to leave Burnley this summer as Newcastle United look to close out a deal.
Burnley manager Scott Parker is resigned to losing James Trafford as Newcastle United close in on a deal for their long-term target.
Trafford was set to sign last summer but a deal was pulled when the Magpies agreed to sign Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos as part of the PSR swindle with Nottingham Forest that saw Elliot Anderson move in the opposite direction.
The 22-year-old was gutted at missing out on a move to Newcastle, not that it showed though, as Trafford kept a record 29 clean sheets and conceded just 16 goals to help Burnley earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.
A year on, Newcastle and Trafford’s desire to get a deal done still very much remains as talks with Burnley continue. And only one outcome is expected with NewcastleWorld able to reveal that Parker is resigned to losing his number one.
Newcastle United expected to finalise James Trafford deal
While the deal has largely been thrashed out, there has been some last-minute to and fro when it comes to finalising the final details, with the Clarets understood to have shifted the goalposts on more than one occasion.
Last year, Newcastle were willing to part with £20m. Now, Trafford is set to command a fee upwards of £30m, which would represent a record transfer fee for a British goalkeeper, surpassing Jordan Pickford’s move from Sunderland to Everton in 2017.
Trafford is very much viewed as the heir to Pickford’s England throne. While the Cockermouth-born goalkeeper is yet to make his senior international debut, it speaks volumes that he has been named in the last few camps.
Burnley boss Scott Parker resigned to losing James Trafford
As revealed, Parker has long accepted that Trafford would depart this summer having hailed him as a “world-class” goalkeeper at the back end of last season.
“Listen, there's no denying at the beginning of this season the work that we all had to do with Traff, and where Traff was, there was a lot of work,” said Parker. “He needed to engage in that. He needed to take breath and take stock and decide where he wanted to be. To be fair to him, I've seen someone mature.
“I think there's no denying that he's a world-class keeper and in big moments, how you judge keepers are in big moments, they get your points. They save big moments.
“Even towards the back end of the game, they’re down to nine men, he's barely had anything to do. A fella rips one from 30 yards and he has to pull off a save. Not sleeping, diligent. He's just a top, top keeper, really.”
James Trafford expected to become Newcastle United’s second summer signing
Should a fee be agreed as expected, Trafford is set to become Newcastle’s second major summer signing after Anthony Elanga.
As broken by the Daily Mail, Newcastle have submitted an improved £55million offer re on the verge of agreeing a deal with Nottingham Forest. The 23-year-old has been a long-term target of Eddie Howe after first attempting to sign him last summer.