Newcastle are having a transfer window to forget. The club have only made one major signing so far. On top of that, the Magpies have lost out on almost all of their targets, including Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Mohammed Kudus, Hugo Ekitike, and Bryan Mbeumo, to name a few. Additionally, their primary striker Alexander Isak has reportedly asked for a move away from the club as well.
Just when it looked like things couldn’t get any worse, Newcastle have been dealt a major setback, as the club are set to miss out on another target who is expected to join a rival Premier League side.
It was earlier reported that Manchester City are considering activating the buy-back clause in Newcastle target James Trafford’s contract to take him back to the Etihad from Burnley.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the deal is done through his signature “Here we go.” Romano posted on X stating that Man City have already agreed on a deal with Burnley to sign Trafford as their new keeper. Pep Guardiola wanted the English keeper, and an agreement worth £40 million under the buy-back clause was reached. Newcastle have also been informed about the deal.
Manchester City agree deal to sign Newcastle target James Trafford
Newcastle currently have Nick Pope as their primary keeper and three other backups. That said, among those three, only Martin Dubravka made any significant number of appearances last season. However, the Slovakian keeper’s future is facing uncertainty as of now, and the Magpies’ decision to leave him out of the squad for their pre-season trip to Asia has only intensified speculation.
As a result, Newcastle’s failure to get the Trafford deal over the finish line will surely hurt their transfer plans. The club will now need to look for a replacement signing for the keeper spot as well, on top of the already long list of areas that need reinforcements.
It seems as if Newcastle are currently fighting more fires than they can put out. However, despite the setbacks, there's still enough time for the Magpies to turn things around and get their transfer plans back on track. The next few weeks will be crucial in determining how the team lines up next season.