Man City has a new goalkeeper

Manchester City have activated their buy-back clause for James Trafford from Burnley for a fee of £27m.

James Trafford is scheduled to undergo a medical at Manchester City.

The Guardian reports that James Trafford will undergo a medical at Manchester City earlier this week, before putting pen to paper on a five-year deal. Trafford, 22, left Manchester City to join Burnley in 2023 for £14m, and now returns to the Etihad Stadium outfit thanks to a buy-back clause.

When Burnley were promoted to the Premier League last season, Trafford impressed with 29 clean sheets. His performances impressed many Premier League clubs. Newcastle United made a £27m bid, but Manchester City activated Trafford's buy-back clause from Burnley just an hour before it was due to expire.

If all goes well, Trafford could feature in Manchester City's only pre-season friendly against Palermo on August 9, before the team opens their Premier League campaign against Wolves a week later.

The return to Trafford is expected to create competition for the goalkeeper position at the Etihad, especially when Ederson has shown signs of declining form and is about to expire. According to The Times , coach Pep Guardiola and the Manchester City board want Ederson to continue to stick with the Etihad team in the 2025/26 season.

The 31-year-old goalkeeper has just one year left on his contract at Man City, but Pep believes that if he leaves now, the club's defence will not be able to find a suitable replacement. Man City's board still value Ederson's experience and influence above short-term financial gain, even if they risk losing the player for nothing in the summer of 2026.

Source: https://znews.vn/man-city-co-thu-mon-moi-post1572258.html