Man City star set for medical at Burnley as £19m deal moves closer to completion
Vincent Kompany is in the process of strengthening his Burnley team ahead of their Premier League return and the transfer of James Trafford to Turf Moor grows closer as the player’s medical is ready to happen.
That is according to Football Insider, who report that Trafford is ready to undergo a medical ahead of his £19m move away from Man City as the Clarets have already agreed the structure of the deal with the Manchester club, with the fee an initial £15m rising to £19m with add-ons.
The England Under-21 hero is now able to put the finishing touches to the Clarets’ club-record signing following the end of his international involvement at the European Under-21 Championship. Trafford played a huge role in England’s success keeping six consecutive clean sheets and he saved a last-minute penalty in the final to help the youngsters to the trophy.
The 20-year-old made 52 appearances across all competitions for Bolton last season and kept 26 clean sheets in those outings. All of this has impressed Kompany at Burnley as Trafford is set for regular Premier League minutes.
Trafford has been at Man City since 2015 having come through the Manchester club’s youth set-up and the Burnley move will be the first permanent one of his career.
The 20-year-old has a promising future in the game and Kompany believes the Englishman is a star in the making.
Leeds: Transfer insider raves over deal Farke could land
Leeds United have been linked with a return for Burnley full-back Charlie Taylor this summer, according to recent reports.
Leeds United target Charlie Taylor is a ‘dependable’ player that wouldn’t be a risky signing for the Whites this summer amid speculation linking him with a move to Elland Road, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
What’s the latest transfer news involving Charlie Taylor?
According to journalist Phil Hay of The Athletic, Taylor is a target for Leeds United and could be brought in as a replacement for Junior Firpo this summer.
Hay wrote: “Defensively, Leeds require a left-back having decided to listen to enquiries for Junior Firpo. They have been repeatedly linked with Ryan Manning, who is on a free transfer after parting company with Swansea City, and they are pondering bidding for Burnley’s Charlie Taylor, the defender who came through the academy at Elland Road”.
Of course, Taylor was at Leeds United between 2011 and 2017, amassing 104 appearances for the Whites in all competitions and notching three goals and and 13 assists, as per Transfermarkt.
Nevertheless, the £25k-a-week ace left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Leeds United support when he turned down a new contract at the club to head to Burnley in 2017, as per Sky Sports.
The 29-year-old was berated by then-Leeds United boss Garry Monk just before he left to join Burnley and reportedly refused to play in the last match of their 2016/17 campaign against Wigan Athletic, as the former Whites manager revealed: “There’s no sugar-coating this – Charlie refused to play the game.”
Now he could be set for a dramatic return to his former employers in a deal that would divide the support of the Elland Road side down the middle.
Speaking to Football FanCast, transfer insider Jones believes that Taylor would be a ‘dependable’ asset for Leeds United should he indeed make a comeback this summer.
Jones told FFC: “Certainly the new manager Farke will be helped by a deal like this and we’ve seen what Charlie Taylor’s capable of, he’s a very dependable player. That’s the sort of thing that Leeds need next season, they don’t want to take any risks and they don’t want anyone letting them down. Charlie Taylor wouldn’t do that.”
Would Charlie Taylor be a good signing for Leeds United?
As always, the Sky Bet Championship is an extremely difficult division to navigate and having players like Taylor around with plenty of previous experience can prove to be pivotal to a side like Leeds United’s promotion hopes.
Last term, the York-born left-back was almost ever present for Burnley, featuring 41 times in all competitions and producing two assists as the Clarets strolled to a return to the Premier League, as per Transfermarkt.
Defensively, Taylor stood up to the challenge for Vincent Kompany’s side in 2022/23 and completed around 1.8 clearances per match in the English second tier, according to WhoScored.
In the eight league competitions ranked below Europe’s top five divisions, Taylor has excelled in terms of passes attempted, getting through around 76.28 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the third percentile for this metric, as shown on FBRef.
Despite the obvious negativity that may emerge from some quarters if he was to rejoin the club, there is no doubt Taylor is an experienced performer that could help make Leeds United a solid outfit in 2023/24.
