Manchester City are set to bring James Trafford back to the Etihad in a deal worth £27 million, Afrosport reports.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper is expected to sign a five-year contract that includes an option for an additional year,
The England Under-21 international is closing in on a return just two years after leaving City for Burnley in a move worth up to £19m.
That deal included a buy-back clause and matching rights, which City have now exercised after Newcastle launched a £27m bid of their own.
Trafford has given the green light to the transfer and is expected to complete his return pending a medical and official clearance. He’ll rejoin his boyhood club and slot into a crowded goalkeeping department featuring Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Marcus Bettinelli.
The City academy graduate enjoyed a standout campaign at Burnley, playing a crucial role in their historic 2024-25 Championship season, where he kept 29 clean sheets in 45 games—earning a spot in the Championship Team of the Season.
He made has total of 73 appearances for the club Clarets, including playing 28 games in 2023-24, his maiden Premier League campaign.
Trafford, who joined City’s youth system in 2015, never made a senior appearance for the club, spending time on loan at Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers.
He’s poised to become Pep Guardiola’s sixth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki, Sverre Nypan, Rayan Aït-Nouri and Bettinelli.
