Trafford, a product of City’s youth academy, joined Burnley in July 2023 in a transfer that included performance-based add-ons and was valued at up to £19 million.
His standout performances last season were instrumental in Burnley’s promotion to the Premier League under Scott Parker. He recorded 29 clean sheets in 45 Championship appearances and was named in the division’s Team of the Year.
Although City included a buy-back clause in the original agreement, the club did not activate it directly. Instead, they exercised matching rights after Newcastle United submitted a £27 million bid for the England youth international, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.
🚨 Manchester City to sign James Trafford from Burnley. Sold at £14m & purchasing for £27m so buy-back cost ~£13m. Activated matching rights on #NUFC offer & 22yo picked #MCFC – 5+1yr contract. Ederson staying, Ortega to go but nothing close @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/w3gJa6OJN2
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) July 25, 2025
He will become the fourth senior goalkeeper in Pep Guardiola’s squad, joining Ederson, Stefan Ortega and Marcus Bettinelli. Trafford is expected to compete with Ederson, who has served as City’s first-choice goalkeeper for eight years.
Ederson is in the final 12 months of his contract and has recently been linked with Turkish side Galatasaray, though no formal offers have been received. Meanwhile, Ortega’s future at the club remains uncertain.
Trafford joined City’s youth ranks in 2015 but never made a senior appearance for the club. He had loan spells with Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers before establishing himself at Burnley.
The goalkeeper is expected to sign a five-year contract with City, with an option to extend by a further year.