Newcastle United will make a fresh move for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, according to a report from Alan Nixon.
The Clarets have retained the vast majority of their first-teamers so far this summer, even a couple of their loanees from last season.
And Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who was originally released by the club earlier this summer, has put pen to paper on a new one-year deal at Turf Moor to extend his stay there.
Charlie Taylor and Jack Cork may have left the Lancashire side, but the Clarets are still in a fairly strong position heading into the 2024/25 campaign, though the left-back department is an area that desperately needs to be strengthened in the coming weeks.
Their goalkeeping area, meanwhile, still looks fairly strong at this point despite Bailey Peacock Farrell’s permanent departure to Birmingham City, with the Clarets triggering an extension option in his contract before selling him for a fee.
Trafford and Aro Muric both remain at Turf Moor at this stage, though it remains to be seen whether either of them will be there when the summer transfer window closes.
Muric is expected to leave the club before the end of the window, according to the Daily Mail, with Premier League teams and clubs from abroad thought to be keen on signing him.
He wants to be a first-choice shot-stopper next term but with Trafford remaining at the club, Scott Parker may not be able to offer the Kosovan regular starts. But Trafford remains the subject of interest from elsewhere.
Newcastle United to make fresh bid for James Trafford
Newcastle will make another bid to try and lure Trafford to St James’ Park, according to Nixon.
With the Magpies having a £16m offer rejected, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see them leave the race, especially with fellow stoppers John Ruddy and Odysseas Vlachodimos both joining.
However, he is highly rated by Eddie Howe’s side, and that has persuaded them to prepare a bid that’s closer to the Clarets’ £30m valuation of the player, who has valuable experience under his belt despite the fact he’s only 21.
The Magpies look to be leading the race at this stage, with Chelsea needing to offload some of their current keepers before making a move for the ex-Manchester City player.
Jamie Cumming may have left to join Oxford United on a permanent deal, but they have several other keepers on their books, including numerous first-teamers.
Burnley should retain firm James Trafford stance
Considering he only signed a long-term deal, with his age and potential also in mind, the Clarets should be looking to hold out for an excellent deal for themselves.
The Magpies won’t have a bottomless pit of money to spend, but they should be looking to pay a big fee for Trafford if they feel he’s a future first-choice shot-stopper.
In terms of the Clarets, they need to be careful not to leave themselves short of options in the goalkeeping department.
Charlie Casper could probably step up to the first team, but he is very inexperienced and at least one new stopper will be required if both Trafford and Muric depart.
Retaining a firm stance on Trafford for now would allow them to line up some goalkeeping targets if they haven’t done so already.
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