Newcastle United are expected to be quoted a fee of around £50 million for England international goalkeeper James Trafford, with the 23-year-old's future set to be decided after the World Cup finals.
Transfer saga continues
The former Burnley star was a target for Newcastle last summer but was gazumped by Manchester City at the 11th hour due to a buyback clause. Trafford has since been given the full lowdown by England team-mates with knowledge of the Magpies and made it clear he would be up for the challenge of being number 1 at St James' Park. However, he ended up at City as his old club jumped to the front of the queue, prompting Newcastle to turn to Aaron Ramsdale on loan.
It is believed Newcastle will face competition from Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa and Juventus for Trafford's signature. At £50 million, he comes in more expensive than first anticipated, with a maximum fee of £45 million mooted earlier in the summer.
Newcastle's goalkeeping situation
The Magpies have already paid £18 million for Ewen Jaouen from Reims but are in the market for a senior keeper. They are yet to find a club for 34-year-old Nick Pope, who still has a year left on his current deal. Pope ended the season as Newcastle's first-choice goalkeeper, with the club opting against a permanent deal for Aaron Ramsdale while Odysseas Vlachodimos' exit underlined Pope's place in the pecking order.
The dilemma would come if Newcastle do sign Trafford or a senior stopper, as Pope is unlikely to be content with a No 2 or No 3 slot. After Pope was overlooked for the World Cup squad, he will return from a complete break for early training and testing on July 13.
Howe's backing for Pope
When recalling Pope over Ramsdale last season, a decision that sealed the ex-Arsenal keeper's fate on Tyneside, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said: "Nick's had moments where he's not been selected before. He's a high-class person. He thinks of the team first. He's part of our leadership group for a reason, because the lads see that he's a team player fundamentally. He's been excellent, I have to say. He's been excellent."
Howe added: "You can put it into context that the role of a footballer, and especially a goalkeeper, can sometimes be very up and down. But he has to see the longer-term vision, which is he just needs to be at his very best, forget anything else about team selection. So he's really focusing on his training and the fundamentals behind that. I've got no doubt with his attitude, with the work that he'll do with the coaches, he'll be back to his very best very soon."
