James Trafford has opened the door for Newcastle United to make a fresh move for his services after admitting he needs to become a No 1 for his England career.
Newcastle have renewed their interest in the Manchester City star as they look to revamp their goalkeeping department.
Despite signing Ewen Jaouen from Reims for an initial £18.5million, the Magpies are still looking to bring in a new shot-stopper who can become first-choice, with Jaouen expected to go in as No 2.
Newcastle have tried to sign Trafford twice in the past. They missed out on a £16million deal a couple of years ago, and then thought they had a deal in place with Burnley last summer only for negotiations involving Paul Mitchell initially to stall, allowing Man City to take advantage of a buyback clause they had in place.
Trafford thought he would be returning to the Etihad as Pep Guardiola's first choice, only for City to sign world-class Italian Gianluigi Donnarumma before the window closed, which relegated the Cumbrian down to a deputy role.
The 23-year-old finished the season with two trophies after helping Manchester City win a domestic double as he lifted both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup but now wants to be a first choice after a season spent mainly on the bench.
When asked if he will have to be No 1 at club level to get the England shirt, Trafford said: “History says yeah. There hasn’t been a goalie start for any of the top nations that isn’t a No 1 at the club.
“It’s been challenging the past season, but looking back, I’ve learned so much, I’ve developed so much. I thought I’d had a lot of experiences up to this point in my career, but this was a new experience for me.
“It was tough. Some days were harder than others, but the one thing I wanted to keep doing was keep winning and improving every day.
“I kept doing that and I came out the season having played a part in winning the two trophies that we did. It was a challenging season, but I learned a lot for myself and for going forward in my career.
“You have still got to perform at the highest level, and when I did move, if I would have become England’s No 1 for the tournament, it would have been brilliant. I’d have been very happy, but obviously I didn’t. They ended up signing Gigi, and I didn’t play the majority of the games, and that’s football.
“The two trophies were nice. Every day I just thought, ‘Keep improving, keep trying to win the day, and see where it takes me’.
“I knew whenever I played I had to perform, and then as long as you perform, everything takes care of itself.”
Newcastle sporting director Ross Wilson is leading on transfers and has already intimated that a change in strategy will see the Magpies target cheaper players abroad - as the Jaouen deal shows. However, Eddie Howe still has a say on recruitment and is believed to want Trafford to come in as No 1, having identified him three years ago as a player he wants to work with.
Wilson has opened preliminary conversations with Trafford's representatives but with the keeper on England duty and City still yet to formally appoint a successor to Guardiola - Enzo Maresca is set to be named - it isn't a deal that would be tied up quickly.
Nick Pope is likely to leave the club should Newcastle bring in another goalkeeper while Odysseas Vlachodimos - who spent last season on loan at Sevilla - is also set to be told he has no future on Tyneside.
