Man City Strikes Deal to Bring Back Former Goalkeeper in Stunning Return

Manchester City have secured a deal to acquire Burnley's goalkeeper James Trafford, according to recent reports.

News surfaced last week that City had shown interest in bringing Trafford back to the club, with the keeper having been a long-standing target for Newcastle United, as the club prepared for the potential exit of either Ederson or Stefan Ortega during the summer window.

Pep Guardiola's team benefited from having a buy-back option valued at £40 million ($54.1 million) that was included when they transferred their former youth product in summer 2023. Fabrizio Romano has now verified that an agreement for a lower amount has been finalized.

The Athletic subsequently reported that City had equaled Newcastle's offer of £27 million ($36.5 million), coming two years after they sold Trafford to Burnley for £14 million ($18.9 million).

This transfer indicates that one of City's existing goalkeepers is expected to leave imminently. Recent reports suggest Guardiola wants to keep Ederson despite interest from Galatasaray.

Previously, Trafford expressed his ambition to compete at the highest level of the Premier League and acknowledged that the possibility of becoming City's first-choice goalkeeper holds great appeal.

"I was eager to leave, and when the chance arose to play in the Premier League with Burnley, I thought, 'Absolutely, I want to pursue that', as I was participating in the Euros then, and I'd been aware of Burnley's interest for quite some time before, with the deal essentially completed before the tournament," Trafford shared on The Ben Foster Podcast regarding his 2023 departure from City.

"I recall discussing it with the goalkeeping coach [at Manchester City] and he asked, 'We've received interest, we've accepted their offer, would you like to go?' And I responded, 'Yes, I want to play in the Premier League'.

"I expressed my desire to represent Man City, and who wouldn't want to be Manchester City's number one? I believed I had the capability, but clearly at that point, I wasn't going to declare specific ambitions because I needed to continue improving."