Man City star back on Newcastle radar after "wasn't what I expected" transfer hint
Man City goalkeeper James Trafford was linked with a move to Newcastle United in the summer.
Man City are preparing for a huge clash in the Premier League against Leeds United this weekend, which could see them close the gap to Arsenal to just two points. The Cityzens have won their last two Premier League games, including a 2-1 win against Newcastle.
Speaking of Newcastle, the Magpies lost out in the summer after Manchester City came in and signed goalkeeper James Trafford from Burnley. The Cityzens had a £30m buy-back clause on Trafford, and opted to take it up following Ederson’s departure in the summer.
However, Man City then signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, which means that Trafford was demoted to the second-choice keeper, and his future is now under scrutiny heading into the summer transfer window.
Newcastle eye Trafford again
Newcastle had two moves for Trafford rejected in the summer, as they wanted to sign a keeper to compete with Nick Pope. They instead opted to sign former Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale on loan from Southampton, but he is expected to return to the South Coast in the summer.
With that in mind, Newcastle need a goalkeeper again in the summer, and, according to The i, they are back in for Trafford, who has hinted that he’s not happy at Man City considering his lack of game time amid the Donnarumma situation.
After appearing in an FA Cup win against Salford City, Trafford expressed that moving to the Etihad was not what he expected. He said, “It wasn’t what I expected coming into the season.
“I tried to guard against it. It’s the reality, and I have to give it my best shot. We train every day, but making saves, it’s good fun.”
His comments seem to indicate that Trafford wants more game time, and that likely won’t come at City. Seeing as Donnarumma is 26, he could be Man City’s starting goalkeeper for the next 10 years if he wanted to be, so where does that put Trafford?
What has Guardiola said on Trafford?
The Man City manager has been full of praise all season long for Trafford, but he has also hinted that things could change for the English keeper in the summer transfer window amid his lack of game time at the Etihad.
Guardiola was quoted by CityXtra in January: “We count on him, we want him. What's going to happen at the end of the season, we'll see... I'd love him to stay for many, many, many years because he has the attributes to play in a big, big club like us.
“But the situation of keepers is special, different, and we'll see what happens at the end of the season.”
Seeing as Donnarumma isn’t going anywhere, Trafford looks more and more likely to leave the Etihad in the summer, and there is no doubt that Newcastle will be keeping an eye on his situation.