'I expect' - James Trafford claim emerges amid Leeds United pursuit of Manchester City goalkeeper
An ex-Premier League scout has weighed in on Leeds United’s pursuit of Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford
A former Premier League scout does not expect Manchester City to stand in the way of a move for Leeds United target James Trafford.
The 23-year-old is widely expected to be Jordan Pickford’s successor between the sticks for England, but is not currently a first-choice stopper at club level.
He rejoined Manchester City from Burnley last summer only to find himself demoted to an understudy role by the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Leeds are now understood to be eyeing an ambitious move for the goalkeeper having seen Karl Darlow and Illan Meslier depart.
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James Trafford claim emerges
Mick Brown, a former scout for the likes of Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City, believes Manchester City will let Trafford go “for the right price”.
He told Football Insider: “He would be the dream signing for Leeds, really. Daniel Farke has been keen to strengthen his squad, so I'm sure he will be delighted if they can get this deal over the line.
“Plus, Trafford is keen to make a move away from Man City, so I expect they will now be ready to let him go for the right price.
“Especially now that he has returned from the World Cup, I expect his future to be decided soon so that he can come in for the majority of pre-season with his new side.”
Leeds United’s goalkeeping department
Leeds signed Lucas Perri from Lyon last summer, paying a reported £15.6m for the services of the Brazilian. He was recruited to be the club’s number one, but flattered to deceive and lost his spot to Darlow.
The latter helped Leed stay afloat in the Premier League and was offered a new contract, but snubbed it in favour of a free transfer switch to Manchester United.
Perri’s only competitor in the current Leeds squad is Alex Cairns, who has not played a single competitive game since his return to Elland Road in 2024.
Trafford would arguably be a huge coup for the Whites given there has also been talk of interest from the likes of Newcastle United and Aston Villa.
Brown said: “James Trafford is a top-class goalkeeper, there's no doubting that. He was fantastic for Burnley in the Championship and earned that move to Man City, where by all accounts he was expecting to be the first-choice goalkeeper under Guardiola.
“It obviously didn't work out that way, the opportunity to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma came up and it wasn't something they wanted to miss out on.
“It now seems like Leeds are pushing to get that deal done, because they're not happy with their current options and view Trafford as a real upgrade on what they've got.”