Newcastle United interested in James Trafford alternative - he loves the Premier League
Newcastle United want to sign James Trafford but an agreement with Burnley is not close.
Newcastle United could reportedly turn to one of France’s leading goalkeepers - if they fail to land James Trafford this summer.
The Magpies were set to sign Trafford from Burnley last year but pulled out of a deal after agreeing to sign Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos as part of the PSR swindle that saw Elliot Anderson move to Nottingham Forest.
Trafford remained at Turf Moor and played a starring role, with his 29 clean sheets and just 16 goals conceded helping the Clarets earn promotion straight back to the Premier League. As a result, a deal that would have cost £20million last year has increased significantly.
Sky Sports News reported earlier this week that Newcastle have re-opened talks over a £30m deal, however other sources have indicated that Burnley’s valuation is closer to the £40m mark.
Trafford is likely to remain keen on the move having verbally agreed to sign last summer. However, as it stands, an agreement over a transfer fee is not close. Newcastle have warned they will walk away from negotiations if the asking price isn’t lowered, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Newcastle United interested in James Trafford alternative
In the event of potentially missing out on Trafford, the same publication has claimed Newcastle have expressed an interest in Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier.
The 23-year-old progressed through the academy at Lille and had a loan spell at Valenciennes before establishing himself as the Ligue 1 club’s number one at the beginning of the 2022-23 season. Last season, he was named the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year.
Chevalier has two years remaining on his contract and has also reportedly attracted interest from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, with the latter hitting an impasse in contract negotiations with Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Interestingly, Chevalier has previously expressed an interest in moving to the Premier League. He said: The Premier League? It’s a league that makes you dream, the most attractive.
“When you see Tottenham, Manchester United struggling with crazy players, you can see the level a bit. I have a two-year contract, and you know the [Lille] president (Oliver Letang). I haven’t had any specific offers from this country, but it makes you think."
Newcastle United won’t be signing Joan Garcia
As previously reported by NewcastleWorld, Newcastle are not pursuing a deal for Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who has agreed to make the controversial move to city rivals Barcelona.
Wild claims from Spain last month claimed Garcia, who has a £21m release clause, was close to making the move to the North East of England but much like the repeated links to Georgian Giorgi Mamardashvili, now of Liverpool, last summer, those rumours turned out to be false.