Tottenham Hotspur have expressed interest in signing James Trafford from Manchester City this summer, according to The Independent.
Last August, Trafford was presented with the 2024-25 PFA Championship Player of the Year award following an outstanding campaign with his former club, Burnley.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a remarkable season at Turf Moor, conceding just 16 goals in 45 appearances while recording an exceptional 29 clean sheets. His impressive run also included an extraordinary sequence of 12 consecutive shutouts.
Those incredible goalkeeping heroics drew keen interest from several Premier League clubs before City trumped other rivals to sign him.
However, things have not gone to plan following his move, as he quickly found himself the second choice after the club signed Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain in the same window.
Despite being instrumental to City’s FA Cup and Carabao Cup wins last season, when he started in both finals, he played only 360 minutes of Premier League football, and clubs are now looking to convince him with the prospect of regular playing time.
One of the clubs looking to sign Trafford is Tottenham, according to The Independent, which claims that the north London club has expressed interest in the 23-year-old.
‘World class’ shotstopper
Although Enzo Maresca’s arrival at the Etihad could change the goalkeeper’s situation, Spurs are ‘pushing’ to sign the 6ft 3in Englishman this summer, the report adds.
With Guglielmo Vicario expected to leave, Roberto De Zerbi has already added Martin Dubravka to his goalkeeping ranks as a backup, with Trafford now being targeted to bring an ‘authority’ and provide competition for a starting spot with Antonin Kinsky, as per the report.
Described as ‘world class’ by former Burnley boss Scott Parker, Trafford made 17 appearances in all competitions, kept eight clean sheets and conceded 13 goals. He kept clean sheets in both domestic finals against Chelsea and Arsenal. Notably, he made an audacious triple save against the Gunners to keep City in the game.
This indicates his ability to perform at an incredibly high level under pressure against tough opponents. He also has a lesser propensity for errors and is highly efficient on the ball, making him a good fit for Roberto De Zerbi’s football.
Having only joined in the summer on a contract that runs until 2030, Tottenham will need to propose a significant offer well above Trafford’s £21m Transfermarkt valuation to sign him from City as part of their squad rebuild.
