Newcastle United take step closer to signing Burnley star | OneFootball

The Clarets could potentially lose some of their brightest prospects and best players following their relegation back to the Championship.

Last time they were relegated to the second tier, they cashed in on Nick Pope, Nathan Collins, Dwight McNeil and Max Cornet, with those sales allowing Vincent Kompany to have a fairly big budget and put his stamp on the squad.

His successor will also need a decent budget if he’s to have the best chance of being successful at Turf Moor, with the Lancashire outfit ideally needing to recruit some fresh faces following a disappointing 2023/24 season in the Premier League.

The one positive for them is the fact they don't need to rebuild their squad this summer, with the club retaining the vast majority of their first-teamers.

Jack Cork and Johann Berg Gudmundsson will be released at the end of this month, but Jay Rodriguez has put pen to paper on a new deal, Charlie Taylor could also stay and they have signed a couple of their former loanees permanently.

With this in mind, the Clarets' next boss will be able to focus on adding quality to his team, rather than depth.

The goalkeeping area is one department where they are very strong at this point, with Trafford and Aro Muric both available as options, as well as Bailey Peacock-Farrell who has had his one-year extension option activated by the Lancashire outfit.

Latest on James Trafford amid Newcastle United interest

It's believed that Trafford, who was dropped by Gareth Southgate after being called up as part of the provisional Euros squad, is a priority option for Newcastle.

Romano has also reported that personal terms have now been agreed, with the Magpies taking one step closer in their quest to recruit the shot-stopper.

However, they are yet to agree a deal with the keeper, and Eddie Howe's side are set to launch a bid in the region of £15m, with add-ons also included in the package.

The Clarets won't receive all of this money if they sell him though, with Manchester City set to receive 20% of the fee.

With this in mind, it's no surprise that the Lancashire club are valuing him as highly as £30m.

And with Newcastle only set to offer around half of that, this is a saga that could drag on for some time.

It seems inevitable that James Trafford will leave Burnley this summer

With personal terms being agreed, it definitely seems as though the keeper is keen on a move away from Turf Moor this summer.

The Clarets' chairman Alan Pace may be reluctant to stand in his way because of this, although he will want to generate as much as possible for the keeper.

Pace did show a willingness to balance the books when the club were last relegated - and it would be a surprise if Trafford isn't sold this summer because of that.

The Lancashire club spent a decent amount last summer, so they probably can't afford to spend in the market unless they are willing to sell some key players.