Newcastle believe they will be able to snap up Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford this summer – despite Manchester City’s buy-back clause.

Trafford joined the Clarets in the summer of 2023 after his penalty save helped England’s Under-21s secure Euros glory. He moved for Turf Moor for an initial £15m, but City inserted a buy-back option into the deal.

The youngster was one of a number of new faces brought in by Burnley’s then-manager Vincent Kompany, but the Championship winners were unable to preserve their Premier League status. It has been a different picture this term, though, with Kompany’s successor Scott Parker oversee a remarkable defensive effort with Trafford’s help.

Across 33 Championship matches this season, Burnley have conceded just nine goals. They’re the first ever team in second-tier history to rack up 11 successive clean sheets – something they achieved with a goalless draw at Preston last time out – and Trafford saved two penalties from Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor in January to keep that run going.

According to The Sun, Newcastle are poised to bring in Trafford regardless of whether Burnley win promotion as they look for a long-term solution after splitting goalkeeping duties between Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka this term. They’re said to be unworried by the prospect of City exercising their buy-back option for the 22-year-old, who was in England’s provisional Euro 2024 squad but failed to make the final 26.

Burnley’s promotion is far from a sure thing, despite them being just one clean sheet shy of QPR’s all-time Championship record with some 13 games left to play. They are unbeaten in their last 20 games, losing just twice in the league all season, but have drawn 14 of their 33 matches to sit five points outside the automatic promotion spots.

They are just three clean sheets of matching the record in England’s top four divisions. That was set as recently as 2008-09, when Manchester United keeper Edwin van der Sar went 14 games without conceding between November and February during the Red Devils’ title win.

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Trafford’s first season at Burnley didn’t go to plan, with worrying form prompting Kompany to drop him for Aro Muric during the run-in. However, he used that frustration to come back stronger under Parker.

“I thought if I got down and sad that I’ve been dropped, I won’t use this time to improve,” Trafford said ahead of this weekend’s meeting with Sheffield Wednesday, where he will look to extend his clean sheet record. “I’d be kicking myself thinking why didn’t I just try and get my head around it and improve instead of moping around.

“It didn’t make me a worse goalie. I still have the same legs, same brain, same body and I just knew as long as I got better every day, I would get what I deserved in the end.”

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