Man City news: Pep Guardiola to continue summer rebuild as James Trafford to rejoin Cityzens
Manchester City are set to confirm the signing of James Trafford from newly-promoted Burnley.
Following a third-place Premier League finish last season, the Cityzens have undergone a huge summer rebuild.
Old guard Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker have both departed the Etihad Stadium, while so far, five fresh faces have come through the door.
Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders joined from Lyon and AC Milan, as Rayan Ait Nouri was brought in from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Pep Guardiola also added Norwegian wonderkid Sverre Nypan to his squad, as well as Marcus Bettinelli as a third-choice shot stopper.
James Trafford to sign for Manchester City
James Trafford in action for Burnley.
The 22-year-old has reportedly put pen to paper on a five-year deal to re-sign with Man City.
Of course, Trafford came through the youth system at Manchester City before signing for fellow North West outfit Burnley.
According to Fabrizio Romano, City had included a buyback clause and price-matching rights in the move, which they have activated.
The two sides are now understood to have signed all documents to complete the deal worth £27million.
How good is James Trafford?
In what was a ‘coming of age’ campaign, Trafford shone for Burnley in their promotion-winning season last term.
The Clarets’ shot stopper conceded just 16 goals in 45 appearances and kept an astonishing 29 clean sheets, including 12 in a row.
Even more impressive given the fact that the Englishman had had a difficult campaign the year prior, as the Lancashire club were relegated from the Premier League.
Hungry to prove himself at the top level, Trafford will now get another chance to do so with Manchester City.
What does this mean for Ederson and Stefan Ortega?
Ederson and Pep Guardiola.
The arrival of Trafford will certainly shake things up at the Etihad, but what will it mean for City’s current options, Ederson and Stefan Ortega?
With Bettinelli certified as Man City’s third-choice and Trafford unlikely to warm the bench, one of the current City duo is likely to depart.
While Ederson has been Guardiola’s first-choice goalkeeper for eight years, the Brazilian has been linked with a big-money switch to the Saudi Pro League in recent years.
The 31-year-old is still young for a shot stopper, though, and could well decide to fight for his spot at Manchester City.
Looking to the future, the Brazilian international only has one year left on his contract with the Cityzens, so could wait and leave for free next summer.
On the other hand, Ortega has been a reliable backup option for Man City since signing for the club in July 2022.
The German has impressed when given the chance and is thought to want more regular minutes.
With that in mind, it is more likely that Ortega will move on this summer, whilst Ederson stays put for another year.
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