Newcastle United are facing another significant setback in the transfer market, with long-term goalkeeper target James Trafford now likely to re-join Manchester City. The Magpies have been pursuing the 22-year-old for over 12 months and came close to a deal last summer, but City hold a buyback clause from Trafford's move to Burnley in 2023.
Failure to sign Trafford would make him the seventh summer transfer snub for Newcastle, who have missed out on several top targets. Among those are Liam Delap and Joao Pedro, both of whom joined Chelsea, while Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have agreed to move to Manchester United.
Dean Huijsen swapped Bournemouth for Real Madrid, and Hugo Ekitike's potential move to Newcastle has collapsed as Liverpool advance in talks to sign the Frenchman. The string of rejections has left manager Eddie Howe frustrated, as he admitted after Saturday's 4-0 friendly defeat to Celtic.
Howe said: 'My wish was for us to do our business early and we certainly tried, but it wasn’t to be. We’ve had a frustrating time in terms of losing targets to other clubs. In order for a transfer to really work, the player has to be desperate to come to your club. If we don’t get that, the transfer doesn’t work.'
Despite the setbacks, Howe remains hopeful of strengthening the squad before the window closes. 'We’re seeking players that are good enough, that are desperate to come, and that can make the difference. We’re confident that we can try and get some more players in to strengthen the depth of the squad,' he added.
