Manchester City are set to re-sign James Trafford from Burnley two years after he left Pep Guardiola’s side.
The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle United and is even thought to have told the club he was willing to join last summer.
The Magpies were in talks with Burnley earlier this window over a deal, and later tabled a £27million offer for the England shot-stopper.
But when Trafford left the Etihad Stadium two years ago, he signed a contract including a ‘matching clause’, Mail Sport understands, meaning if City matched a bid offered by a rival suitor he would have to make a return.
And Pep Guardiola’s side have reportedly done just that after igniting their interest in Trafford recently, with the goalkeeper in favour of a move to City over Newcastle. The deal is expected to be completed soon.
What Trafford’s arrival means for the future of Ederson and Stefan Ortega is yet to be seen, with both goalkeepers linked with a move away from the club this summer.
Manchester City are set to sign James Trafford from Burnley in a deal worth £27million
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City only ignited their interest in the shot-stopper this month
Ederson was the subject of a £1million bid from Turkish giants Galatasaray last week, but the Brazilian had previously dubbed reports of him leaving as ‘fake news’.
The expectation is now that Ortega could leave Manchester City in the coming weeks.
Trafford’s snub is the latest woe in a transfer window which is becoming quite a struggle for Eddie Howe and Newcastle.
They’ve so far only secured the signature of Anthony Elanga in a £55million deal from Nottingham Forest despite putting in offers for a number of high-profile stars.
They’ve missed out on both Hugo Ekitike and Bryan Mbuemo this summer, with the former completing a huge move to Liverpool and the latter moving north to Manchester United.
And Newcastle are also finding their pursuit of Brentford’s Yoane Wissa difficult, with the club seeing a bid rejected for the attacker a couple of weeks ago.
Their latest target is thought to be RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko, who had been linked with a move to Arsenal earlier this summer before they secured the services of Viktor Gyokeres.
The club are perhaps preparing for life without their Swedish superstar Alexander Isak, who told The Magpies’ hierarchy that he wants to leave.
The signing of the England stopper leaves the futures of Ederson and Stefan Ortega in doubt
Man City matched a bid of £27million from Newcastle United for Trafford
The Magpies could be set to lose star Swedish striker Alexander Isak this summer
The forward has not travelled with his team-mates on their pre-season tour of Singapore amid mounting interest from Premier League champions Liverpool.
Eddie Howe responded to rumours surrounding Isak yesterday.
When asked if he wanted a quick resolution, the Newcastle boss said: ‘I wouldn’t put a timescale on it. I think with these situations it has to be right for the football club, and everything then is taken into context below that.
‘But the club will make the right decision with all the information that it has, and ultimately to try and move the club forward in whatever way that is.
‘Then it’s up to us to make good decisions the other way and try and improve the squad as best we can. That’s what we’re trying to do, regardless of Alex’s situation.
‘But I think there’s a wider picture here. There’s a whole football club that has to make the decision. The ownership, together with the board of directors, especially with the money involved in modern day transfers. The manager of course has an opinion, but ultimately the decision will rest with the board.’
