Newcastle land fatal blow to Chelsea in race to land £20m-rated English talent

Newcastle have opened talks to sign Burnley goalkeeper and Chelsea target James Trafford this summer. Last week, LondonWorld reported that the English goalkeeper, who was dropped from the England team for the Euros, was on Chelsea's list.

Since then, Newcastle have jumped ahead to make contact with the goalkeeper, according to a report in The Athletic. The report further claims discussions between Newcastle and Burnley have begun, with the player believed to be valued by Newcastle at between £15-20 million.

Trafford joined Burnley from Manchester City last summer in a deal worth up to £19 million. He made 28 Premier League appearances for the Lancashire club before being replaced by Arijanet Muric for the final 10 games of the 2023-24 season.

The club’s relegation means they will be forced to sell some of the players they invested heavily in, with the goalkeeper high on the list of players who could potentially leave this summer.

Chelsea have Robert Sanchez, who was signed to be a backup to Kepa Arrizabalaga, but his departure to Real Madrid meant there was a window of opportunity for him to establish himself as the number one at the club.

Injuries meant Đorđe Petrović, who arrived later, took that spot, so Chelsea are on the hunt for a goalkeeper, and Trafford was seen as ideal given he was young, talented, and already has Premier League experience.

Newcastle failed to qualify for Europe for next season but will hope their summer transfer business, potentially starting with Trafford, will guide them back to continental football, given Chelsea ended up being the team that denied them European football.