‘Here We Go’ Manchester City Agree Deal to Another ‘World Class’ Player

Manchester City have agreed a deal to re-sign former academy prospect James Trafford, as per Fabrizio Romano. The 22-year-old was called a “special goalkeeper” by his manager, Scott Parker, in January, and the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder was full of praise for the goalkeeper throughout the entirety of last season, calling him “world class” on another occasion.

Manchester City Agree Deal to Sign Trafford

What Will The Deal Look Like?

The Cityzens made it clear that they were not going to pay Trafford’s £40 million buyback clause, but were instead looking to negotiate a deal for a lower price. Romano reports that they have agreed to sign one of the most promising goalkeeping talents in English football for just £27 million, representing a healthy discount on the initial fee that some thought Pep Guardiola’s side would have to pay. David Ornstein suggests that they used their matching rights to equal Newcastle United’s bid, as Trafford is set to sign a five-year deal with an optional one-year extension.

The Englishman is set to complete his medical at the Etihad Campus next week, with the majority of the tests being scheduled for Monday. Newcastle are seemingly completely out of the running for Trafford, as the Burnley man is keen to work with Pep Guardiola, who personally wants the giant shot-stopper at the Etihad Stadium next season following an impressive campaign in which he kept a staggering 29 clean sheets in the Championship.

What About City’s Other Goalkeepers?

In his original reports, Romano declared that the Cityzens would only proceed with their attempt to sign Trafford if one of Ederson or Stefan Ortega Moreno were to leave Manchester this summer. However, the deal has now received the Italian’s famous “Here We Go” confirmation without any updates on the future of either of the current City duo. There had previously been rumours circulating about Ederson moving to Galatasaray, and L’Equipe even went as far as to say that the Turkish club had made a €3 million bid, before Romano refuted these claims.

Ornstein’s latest report indicates that the Brazilian is set to stay in Manchester for one more year before the expiration of his contract with Ortega being the most likely player to leave. But, the Athletic’s Football Correspondent emphasised that there were no concrete offers for the German at the moment.

This may mean that Guardiola starts the season with three established senior goalkeepers, which could create a problem for the Catalan in terms of squad rotation.