West Cumbrian star James Trafford is on his way back to Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola is set to re-sign the 22-year-old for a fee said to be £27 million.
The son of a Greysouthen farmer and a keen Workington Reds fan, Trafford starred in Burnley’s Championship-winning side last season.
A City academy graduate, he joined the Turf Moor club in a deal said to be worth up to £19m in July 2023.
At the moment he is among four goalkeepers at City but there are doubts over the immediate futures of Ederson and Stefan Ortega while Marcus Bettinelli has just been recruited to replace back-up keeper, west Cumbrian Scott Carson.
Ederson has been first choice for eight years but is in the final year of his contract and has been linked with a move to either Saudi Arabia or Galatasaray.
City said they have not received any bids for the 31-year-old, but there are doubts about the future of German Ortega given the increased competition for game time once Trafford arrives.
Trafford did not make a first-team appearance in his first spell at City but spent valuable time on loan at Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers.
He played 73 times for Burnley with 28 of them two years ago in the Premier League.
Trafford has represented England from Under-17 to Under-21 level, and was part of the winning European Championship squad of 2023, during which he kept six clean sheets and did not concede a goal.
He received his first senior international call-up in 2024 but has yet to make his debut at that level.
Last season when Burnley were promoted back to the Premier League Trafford kept 29 clean sheets across 45 Championship games – and was named in the division’s team of the year.
