"He will be missed" - James Trafford transfer exit claim made as Newcastle hunt Burnley FC deal | OneFootball

FLW's Burnley fan pundit has named the likeliest player sale at the club this summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Burnley are right in the mix for automatic promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

The Clarets face competition from Leeds United and Sheffield United, as well as Sunderland.

Scott Parker’s side have enjoyed an impressive defensive record, proving the backbone of their top two push.

But their strong defensive displays this season will also likely attract plenty of transfer interest this summer.

James Trafford exit claim

When asked which player is likely to leave the club this summer, FLW’s Burnley fan pundit Will Lancaster named James Trafford.

Newcastle have been linked with the shot-stopper, and he expects the 22-year-old to compete for Nick Pope’s position in Eddie Howe’s side.

“I’d probably say James Trafford is most likely to leave in the summer,” Lancaster told Football League World.

“I think regardless of promotion to the Premier League, then Newcastle seem pretty insistent that they’re going to wrap the deal up.

“Obviously, the clean sheet record and the defensive record in general speaks for itself. He’s had an amazing season in the Championship, and it was just what he needed after a horror show of a Premier League campaign last time out.

“Nick Pope seems to be declining a bit at St. James’, Martin Dubravka, has been linked with moves away.

“And I think now when it’s becoming quite apparent that Trafford will be in and around the England team as an understudy to someone like Jordan Pickford, I think it’s about the right time for him to make that Premier League move.”

Trafford promotion prediction

Lancaster believes the goalkeeper’s performances have been strong enough that he may leave even if promotion is secured this season.

“Even if we do go up, then I feel like teams are going to capitalise on his achievements this season, and I think Burnley also have a similar mindset that we should cash in while his stock is high because,” he continued.

“At the end of the day, we are a club of our stature, we’re always going to buy low and sell high. That’s the way that we have to progress as a team.

“Brentford have done the same, Brighton have done the same, and they’re the two teams that you really want to blueprint in terms of a Premier League survival. Unless you’re Nottingham Forest and you chuck loads of money at it, it’s not really sustainable for a club of our size.

“So I feel like Trafford will be missed, but it could be a necessary deal for both teams to wrap that up.”

Burnley are currently third in the Championship table with nine games to play.

Trafford sale will earn Burnley a big profit

Burnley raised a lot of eyebrows when they paid a reported £19 million to sign Trafford in the summer of 2023 given his experience was only at League One level up to that point.

But the Clarets now stand to make a sizable profit from the goalkeeper this summer, and promotion will only increase his transfer value.

The youngster could be worth as much as £30 or 40 million going into the transfer window, which would be an acceptable fee even for someone so important to Scott Parker’s side.