"£25m or £30m" - Pundit issues eight-figure transfer claim as Burnley man eyed by Newcastle United | OneFootball

Newcastle United are interested in signing Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford this summer.

According to Alan Nixon, the Magpies are weighing up an offer for the 21-year-old in the upcoming transfer window, which officially opens in the middle of June.

Trafford signed for the Clarets last year following the club’s promotion to the Premier League, joining from Manchester City in a deal worth a reported £15 million, plus an extra £4 million in add-ons.

Despite Burnley’s relegation to the Championship, the youngster is still highly-rated in football despite being dropped by Vincent Kompany in mid-March for Aro Muric, with the Kosovan becoming the first-choice once more until the end of the campaign.

Carlton Palmer backs Newcastle United to sign Burnley's James Trafford

Ex-England international turned pundit Carlton Palmer believes that Trafford could be a good signing for Newcastle, given the issues with Nick Pope’s fitness this year.

However, he has warned the Magpies that it could cost north of £25 million to convince Burnley to cash in on the shot-stopper.

“Relegated Burnley are planning for life in the Championship, and Vincent Kompany has some very difficult decisions to make,” Palmer told Football League World.

“Obviously you want to keep your better players and you want to try and get an immediate return to the Premier League.

“One person who has been attracting a lot of attention is Burnley’s young goalkeeper James Trafford.

“Despite Burnley’s poor defensive record, he’s been one of the shining lights at Burnley this season.

“I’m sure Vincent Kompany would like to keep young James, but there’s a lot of clubs who are looking at him.

“And one club that is particularly interested in keeping tabs on the situation is Newcastle United.

“It’s been a disappointing season for Newcastle United, they didn’t reach the heights of last season.

“One of those problems was the goalkeeping situation, with Nick Pope picking up injuries and being out for quite a bit of time. “He is still only 32, but 21-year-old James Trafford would be a fantastic signing. “As I said, I think Vincent Kompany and Burnley would like to keep him.

“They signed him from Man City, £15 million was the initial fee, with £4 million coming in add-ons and there’s also a sell-on clause, and City have actually a buy-back option within the deal.

“So, if they do decide to sell young James then the fee is going to be really, really big because, like I said, there’s a 20 per cent sell-on fee that’s got to go to Man City, they paid £15 million plus another £4 million in incentives, so you’re going to be talking about in excess of, I would think, £25 or 30 million to get James out of Burnley.

“But, as I said, I’m sure Vincent Kompany would like to keep him, and also for the young keeper, he will be the number one.

“Obviously there is playing in the Premier League, and of course you want to play in the Premier League, but James won’t want to go to St. James’ Park and play second fiddle to Nick Pope, so he would have to be guaranteed first-team football.”

James Trafford's importance to Burnley

Trafford featured 28 times in the Premier League this season, keeping just two clean sheets and conceding 62 goals (all stats from Fbref).

It was a difficult year for the Clarets, and this poor defensive record is not a fair reflection of Trafford’s ability.

The goalkeeper was also part of the England U21 side that won the European Championship in 2023, which boosted his reputation significantly.

He has shown a readiness to compete at a Premier League level during his time at Turf Moor, but the team’s overall poor form led to them finishing 19th in the table.

Trafford has a contract with Burnley until the summer of 2027, so it remains to be seen whether the Lancashire outfit would be willing to cash in amid Newcastle’s interest.

James Trafford's transfer value has surely increased from last year

The £15 million paid to sign Trafford last year surprised many, but this is the premium Man City can charge for their academy prospects due to their success.

His reputation was also enhanced by his England performances at underage level, which contributed to the size of the fee.

But, relegation or not, that valuation has likely only increased after earning a year of Premier League experience.

Jordan Pickford was sold by Sunderland for £30 million after getting relegated in 2017, so that is a realistic fee Burnley could charge this year if a concrete approach is made, even though he was taken out of the team with two months of the season to go.