Report: ‘World-class’ 20 y/o Man City wonderkid is now actually very close to leaving for £15m

It has been reported that Manchester City gem James Trafford is now edging closer and closer towards a transfer to Burnley.

This comes from The Athletic journalist Andy Jones, as it was claimed on Sunday that even Leicester City were keen on his signature.

However, it seems like Burnley have now taken the lead in the race to sign James Trafford from Manchester City.

Burnley look set to complete James Trafford transfer from Manchester City

The 20-year-old, who Cole Palmer has backed to become ‘world-class’ via Manchester Evening News has undergone two successive loan spells at Bolton Wanderers, where he was nothing short of a blockbuster hit.

However, Trafford recently admitted that his goal was to play regular first-team football elsewhere, even going as far as to suggest that he would not be opposed to leaving City to do so.

Now, it seems James Trafford may have been granted his wish, as it has been reported that Burnley are in ‘advanced stages’ to sign him from Manchester City.

The initial fee that Vincent Kompany’s side are set to pay for his services is £15 million, potentially rising to £19 million in add-ons.

Interestingly, Pep Guardiola’s men intend to insert a buy-back clause in the deal, as well as the option of matching any future offers for him and a 20% sell-on clause to top it off.

Manchester City simply had no choice other than to go ahead with the deal

While many may bemoan the decision from Manchester City to potentially sell James Trafford to Burnley as a repeat of the Romeo Lavia situation, what choice did they really have?

For starters, Ederson is in the prime of his career and has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

As talented as Trafford is, the Brazilian is the archetypal goalkeeper in a Pep Guardiola team.

To add to that, an offer of £15 million for a youngster who is yet to have even played in the Championship is too good for any club to refuse.

As a result, City have made the right decision to potentially offload Trafford, despite the repercussions that the sale could perhaps have in the future.