When Gianluigi Donnarumma made the switch from PSG to Manchester City, it complicated things for James Trafford, who had just joined the club during the summer transfer window.
With Donnarumma bringing Champions League experience and a reputation for performing in high-stakes matches, Trafford could be considering his options.
Manchester City spent £27 million to bring Trafford back from Burnley in July, according to ESPN. But as the summer window drew to a close, PSG’s refusal to meet Donnarumma’s contract demands made him available, and City moved quickly to secure the Italian goalkeeper.
Now, with Donnarumma firmly installed as the first-choice keeper, reports suggest that one Premier League club is already keeping tabs on Trafford ahead of the winter transfer window.
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The Daily Mail’s Jack Gaughan reports that Trafford is already looking to leave Manchester City, just five months after his £27 million summer move.
He had been brought in as City’s new No. 1 goalkeeper, but the signing of Donnarumma from PSG on transfer deadline day pushed him down to the backup role.
Since then, Donnarumma has started every Premier League match. This report comes after TEAMtalk revealed last month that Newcastle are making a strong January push for Trafford, who has found minutes hard to come by at Manchester City.
Eddie Howe’s group have tracked the 23-year-old for several seasons and nearly landed him in the summer, but he ultimately chose to head back to Man City.
In September, former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce said on talkSPORT that Trafford should have seen Donnarumma’s arrival as a positive, noting it gives the chance to bring in a Champions League and European Cup winner.
“You’ll probably be a little bit disappointed, but you’ve got a top goalkeeper there,” Pearce said. “If I was advising him, I would say, ‘Look, at the age you are at the moment, see this as a positive [when] Donnarumma comes in.’
“You’ve got competition, so you’ve got to up your game. Also, you’ve got two great role models that have been around the block to learn from over the next year or so. I would use it as a positive rather than a negative, if I was him.”