Burnley's transfer business would ordinarily be of no concern to Liverpool, but the Reds will be keeping an eye on one deal in particular this summer.
The Clarets are hack in the Premier League after bouncing back at the first time of asking and will be looking to maintain their place in the top flight with Vincent Kompany at the helm. Heavily praised for their Championship title-winning campaign last term, Kompany's free-flowing style of play resulted in a return of 101 points.
Key to this success was the Clarets' clever approach in the transfer market, heavily influenced by Kompany's past. The 37-year-old, who spent two years managing Anderlecht, recruited no fewer than nine players from his home country while also targeting another of his former clubs. Indeed, two Manchester City players were brought to Turf Moor on a permanent basis while a loan for Taylor Harwood-Bellis was also approved.
One of the individuals to join Burnley from the Sky Blues was goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who left behind City after five League Cup appearances and a series of loan spells for a reported £3million fee. Muric instantly become the Clarets' first-choice keeper and made 41 league appearances as Burnley eased to promotion.
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Changes are again coming to Kompany's goalkeeping department, having already wrapped up a free transfer for ex-Liverpool man Lawrence Vigouroux and are now closing in on a £19m deal for James Trafford. Currently competing for England at the European U21 Championships, the 20-year-old has never made a senior appearance for Manchester City but has seen his stock rise courtesy of temporary moves away from the Etihad.
First loaned to Accrington Stanley during the first half of the 2021/22 season, Trafford spent the second part of the campaign at Bolton Wanderers and returned to the Whites for a full year in League One last term. Sharing Bolton's Young Player of the Year award with Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley was testament to his high performance levels as Ian Evatt's side reached the play-offs.
That Trafford has been able to command a valuation so high despite the third tier being the highest level represents impressive business for City, though Pep Guardiola's side are no strangers to transfers of this ilk. The reigning Premier League champions last summer sold shot-stopper Gavin Bazunu to Southampton for £12m, rising to £15m in add-ons, after zero first-team games for City and loans at Rochdale and Portsmouth.
All this emphasises is that the demand for promising goalkeepers has never been greater, which will be music to Liverpool's ears as they brace themselves for interest in Caoimhin Kelleher this summer. Jurgen Klopp stated it would take an 'extraordinary offer' for the Reds to part ways with the Republic of Ireland international, and that may be exactly what Liverpool receive given the current market rates.
Brentford are said to be seeking £40million for David Raya in the coming weeks amid reported interest from Chelsea and Manchester United, despite the Spaniard enjoying only two seasons at the top level of English football. Kelleher, by no means a veteran of the Premier League, has international experience and has featured for Liverpool across all competitions.
Eyeing Kelleher as a potential Raya replacement, a Daily Mail report from May stated a £15m price tag on Kelleher was deemed 'unrealistic' by the London club. It is hard to imagine Liverpool will view the situation the same way and would be well within their rights to be demanding in excess of £20m for their No.2 this summer.
Similar to how Borussia Dortmund were placed in a position of power regarding Jude Bellingham's valuation after watching Chelsea splash £106.8million to bring Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez to Stamford Bridge in January, Liverpool could well have seen Kelleher's price rise simply due to the actions of others.
