James Trafford is closing in on a £40m move to Leeds United that would make the 23-year-old one of the most expensive goalkeepers in history – and hand him the platform to eventually succeed Jordan Pickford as England’s number one.
Only Kepa Arrizabalaga (£68m), Alisson (£62m) and Andre Onana (£43m) have cost more between the posts. Leeds manager Daniel Farke appears happy to pay the fee despite Trafford’s limited game time at Manchester City last season, where he made just 17 appearances in all competitions, only four in the Premier League.
“James Trafford close to £40m Leeds move, giving him platform to challenge for England goalkeeper spot.”
Instead, City signed Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris St-Germain just four weeks after Trafford’s £27m return to the Etihad last summer, relegating him to second choice – a scenario that prompted his potential switch to Elland Road.
Trafford’s reputation was built largely in the Championship with Burnley, where he conceded only 16 goals in 45 matches during the 2024-25 promotion season. His 29 clean sheets and 84.47% save ratio earned him the tag “world class” from then manager Scott Parker. But at the highest level he is yet to fully establish himself: at Burnley he conceded 67 goals in only 28 top-flight games before losing his place towards the end of the 2023-24 season.
Since the 2018 World Cup, Everton’s Jordan Pickford has been a fixture in the England team, with 91 caps, 44 clean sheets and 33 major tournament appearances including two European Championship finals. But Pickford will be 34 by the time Euro 2028 begins, making the succession question increasingly pressing. The other goalkeepers in England’s World Cup squad were Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson and Manchester City’s Trafford.
If the Leeds move goes through, it will mean £82m has been spent on Trafford in initial transfer fees since he left Burnley three years ago – an extraordinary sum for a player with only 32 top-flight games in total. The son of a farming family from Cockermouth, Cumbria, Trafford now has the chance to showcase his ability on a regular basis at a Premier League club and force his way into the conversation for England’s long-term future.