James Trafford’s return to Manchester City has not gone entirely to plan, through no fault of the young goalkeeper’s own.
The 23-year-old made the £27m move back to his former club last summer after an excellent season with Burnley in the Championship.
The expectation was that Trafford would become City’s No.1 after Ederson’s switch to Fenerbahce.
Juventus monitoring Trafford situation
Trafford would not have accounted for the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma, who became available late in the transfer window, and has since become Pep Guardiola’s first-choice keeper.
The Italian has been City’s stopper for the Premier League and Champions League, leaving Trafford to play in cup competitions - though he did get to celebrate helping his side to Carabao Cup glory.
It seems a handful of cup appearances may not be enough to satisfy Trafford in the long-term, though.
According to the Daily Mail, Juventus are “keeping close tabs” on the City keeper as they search for a new No.1.
Premier League sides Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested, while Newcastle United attempted to sign him last summer.
City do not intend to make a loss if they sell Trafford this summer, but Juventus are “shopping in the region of £17m”.
That could mean the Serie A club look to negotiate a loan deal, though they have also looked at Liverpool’s Alisson and former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea as more experienced options.
Toulouse’s Guillaume Restes and Olympiacos’ Konstantinos Tzolakis are other young goalkeepers on Juve’s radar, should a move for Trafford not materialise.
In FourFourTwo’s view, another City exit probably makes sense for Trafford, who will want to advance his career and play more regularly.
Donnarumma, despite his now vast experience, is still only 27, and could be City’s No.1 for several years, so Trafford may need to move elsewhere.
