James Trafford Set for Leeds United Move Amid Manchester City Talks
James Trafford has become the goalkeeper at the centre of Leeds United’s summer rebuild, with the club now in advanced talks with Manchester City over a move for the England international.
Daniel Farke has made a new No.1 his priority after a brutal double blow in the position. Karl Darlow, who finished last season as first choice, left for Manchester United on a free transfer. Illan Meslier followed him out of the door, sealing a move to Arsenal. In the space of one window, Leeds lost both ends of last year’s goalkeeping battle.
Into that gap steps Trafford, 23, identified as the man to anchor Leeds’ return to the Premier League. According to The Athletic, negotiations are under way with City, and Trafford is understood to favour Elland Road despite strong pressure from Newcastle United.
That preference is significant. Newcastle chased Trafford hard last summer, only to see him opt for a return to the Etihad from Burnley. The pathway looked clear then: Ederson’s move to Fenerbahce opened up the starting spot, and Trafford rejoined City with the expectation he would inherit the gloves.
The landscape changed in an instant. City swooped for Gianluigi Donnarumma late in the window, and Trafford’s route to the No.1 shirt vanished. He dropped to second choice and spent the 2025/26 campaign as Donnarumma’s understudy.
He did not hide his frustration. Speaking in February, Trafford admitted that being back-up “wasn’t what I expected” and said he had “tried to guard against the situation happening”. Even from the bench, he still forced his way into the picture, making 17 appearances across all competitions and playing his part in City’s Carabao Cup and FA Cup triumphs.
But cameos and cup runs are no longer enough. Trafford wants to be a permanent No.1 in the Premier League, and this summer feels like a career crossroads. Leeds, newly promoted and short of an established starter, can offer exactly what City cannot: a guaranteed fight to be first on the teamsheet every week.
Farke does have cover in-house. Lucas Perri, signed from Lyon on a four-year deal last summer, remains on the books as the current No.2, while Alex Cairns offers depth as third choice. Neither, though, has been earmarked as the long-term Premier League starter. The plan is clear: Trafford walks through the door as the main man for 2026/27.
Newcastle, sensing the tide turning towards Elland Road, have already started to pivot. With Trafford leaning towards Leeds, Eddie Howe’s recruitment team are assessing other options, including Parma’s Zion Suzuki and Brighton’s Carl Rushworth. The race for Trafford is not officially over, but the momentum has shifted.
Leeds are not chasing a gamble. Trafford arrives with a substantial body of work behind him. At Burnley, he was undisputed No.1 for two seasons and the foundation of a defence that conceded just 16 goals in 46 Championship matches in 2024/25 – an extraordinary record over a full campaign at that level.
His progress has not gone unnoticed at international level either. The Cockermouth-born keeper made his England debut in March, earning the first of two caps, and travelled with Thomas Tuchel’s squad to the World Cup this summer. For a 23-year-old goalkeeper, that is heavyweight experience in a compressed time frame.
Now comes the decision that will shape his next five years. Stay in Manchester and wait behind Donnarumma, or step into the noise and expectation of Elland Road as the face of a new Leeds side back among the elite?
Leeds have made their move. Trafford, this time, looks ready to take the risk that brings him the one thing he cannot get at City: a season lived entirely between the posts.
