Newcastle have renewed attempts to sign the Burnley and England Under-21 goalkeeper James Trafford.
Eddie Howe has long admired the 21-year-old, who is regarded as a future senior England keeper, and Newcastle had a £15m bid rejected in June. They have returned to the negotiating table, with a potential loan deal featuring an obligation to buy believed to be under discussion.
Although Trafford would initially understudy Nick Pope at St James’ Park, the Manchester City academy graduate from Cockermouth in Cumbria would swiftly be expected to compete with Howe’s first choice. After Burnley’s 1-0 Championship defeat at Sunderland on Saturday, Scott Parker suggested he could soon lose his goalkeeper.
“At the moment James is here,” said Burnley’s manager. “Who knows what happens in the future.”
The mooted transfer is complicated by Howe having five goalkeepers. Any deal for Trafford would almost certainly involve Pope’s current deputy, Slovakia’s Martin Dubravka, leaving before Friday’s transfer deadline and Odysseas Vlachodimos departing on loan.
The latter, Greece’s first choice, joined Newcastle in June from Nottingham Forest as part of the £30m deal that took Elliot Anderson to the City Ground but has not yet featured in a Premier League matchday squad. Newcastle also have the veteran John Ruddy, signed from Birmingham earlier in the summer, and the long-serving Mark Gillespie on their books.
Nayef Aguerd has rejected a loan move to an unnamed Bundesliga club, slowing West Ham’s pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain’s Carlos Soler. West Ham are looking to strengthen in midfield and signing Soler is a key priority for Julen Lopetegui. But Lopetegui has spent heavily and there is a focus on raising funds before more signings are made.
Aguerd is one of the players not in West Ham’s plans but moving the centre-back has not been straightforward. The Morocco international, who joined from Rennes for £28m two years ago, responded reluctantly after being given the chance to spend the season on loan at a German team.
The deal would have been a loan with an option to buy at the end of the season. Aguerd is thought to earn about £90,000 a week, complicating efforts to sell him.
There has also been interest from the Middle East in Aguerd, who did not make the bench for West Ham’s win over Crystal Palace on Saturday. Lopetegui has altered his central defence by signing Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo.
West Ham will boost their budget and lower their wage bill if another centre-back, Kurt Zouma, who earns about £130,000 a week, completes a move to Al-Orobah of the Saudi Pro League. Zouma’s proposed move to the United Arab Emirates collapsed over a failed medical this month, so West Ham are progressing with caution. They also have Konstantinos Mavropanos as another option in the position.
West Ham are also inviting offers for Maxwel Cornet but the former Burnley winger’s wages are making it hard to find a buyer. There is uncertainty over the futures of James-Ward Prowse and Danny Ings.
