Manchester United are reportedly looking to bring a Manchester City academy graduate to Old Trafford in the summer, as Ruben Amorim begins rebuilding the squad.
A number of key areas have been identified by the Manchester United manager as needing upgrades, with the attacking areas a pressing concern for the Portuguese boss.
Recent months have also seen goalkeeper Andre Onana come under pressure as well, with the Cameroonian retaining his place despite inconsistent performances and a number of mistakes.
Manchester United looking to replace Andre Onana
Onana joined Manchester United in the summer of 2023 from Inter in a deal worth £47.2m, and heralded a change of tact under Erik ten Hag as the Dutch boss sought a goalkeeper more comfortable with the ball at his feet. Amorim still seems unconvinced with the 28-year-old, however, with other options now under consideration.
But while reports suggest Onana doesn’t want to leave Manchester United and is willing to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford, the search for a new goalkeeper has already started within the recruitment department – and has taken them to a graduate from the Manchester City academy.
According to Teamtalk, Manchester United are chasing the signature of Burnley shotstopper James Trafford, who spent six years in the Manchester City academy before graduating into the first team at 18 in 2021.
While the 22-year-old never made a senior appearance for Manchester City, Trafford enjoyed loans loans at Accrington Stanley and Bolton before permanently joining Burnley in a deal worth £19m in 2023.
The 2023/24 season saw Trafford struggle in a Burnley side fighting at the bottom of the Premier League, with the Englishman eventually replaced in the starting XI by Arijanet Muric. 2024/25 has gone a lot better in the Championship for Trafford, however, with the goalkeeper having conceded just 10 goals so far this term after 34 games.
Burnley manager Scott Parker believes Trafford has “humungous potential”, too, highlighting his ability after saving two penalties in a game against Sunderland back in January.
“When I first came in, there were some struggles and he came off the back of a difficult season,” Parker said. “For such a young boy coming into that division, he had some hard times, some challenging times. But this is a special goalkeeper. He is confident, he believes in himself and you need that to get to the top, top level. He has that and he backs it up with what he does in between the posts.”
Transfermarkt values Trafford at £15m, with his contract having two more years still to run at Turf Moor.
