He'd be a dream with Scalvini: Newcastle very close to signing £30m star
da realsbet： An extremely busy transfer window is forecast at Newcastle United, even if it has been very quiet so far.
da premier bet： Two seasons ago, when they first qualified for the Champions League under Eddie Howe, the Magpies really struggled to balance both domestic and continental commitments, finishing bottom of an admittedly nightmare group, while also failing to qualify for Europe again via the Premier League.
A year on, now back in UEFA’s top-tier tournament, Howe will require reinforcements, needing a bigger squad to compete on multiple fronts, so could some new signings arrive on Tyneside this week?
Newcastle's search for signings
As has been widely reported, Newcastle look poised sign Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest for £55m, confident a deal will be finalised soon.
Meantime, the Magpies are interested in signing Atalanta centre-back Giorgio Scalvini, who has been described as ‘their top target’, with the 21-year-old valued at £30m by la Dea.
On top of all this, a report by Dominic Scurr of the Shields Gazette now states that Newcastle are “very close” to agreeing a deal with Burnley to sign goalkeeper James Trafford.
They add that a disagreement over a fee has led to ‘some complications’, but considering the player is ‘very keen’ to move to Tyneside, a deal is expected to be finalised, costing around £30m, making Trafford the most-expensive English goalkeeper of all time.
English goalkeepers to move for £10m+
Players
Year
Selling club
Buying club
Fee
James Trafford*
2025
Burnley
Newcastle
£30m
Aaron Ramsdale
2021
Sheffield United
Arsenal
£28m
Jordan Pickford
2017
Sunderland
Everton
£25m
Aaron Ramsdale
2024
Arsenal
Southampton
£25m
Dean Henderson
2023
Manchester United
Crystal Palace
£20m
Aaron Ramsdale
2020
Bournemouth
Sheffield United
£18.5m
James Trafford
2023
Manchester City
Burnley
£15m
Fraser Forster
2014
Celtic
Southampton
£10m
Sam Johnstone
2024
Crystal Palace
Wolves
£10m
Nick Pope
2022
Burnley
Newcastle
£10m
*subject to being finalised.
All information courtesy of Transfermarkt
Given the outlay, Trafford is surely moving to Newcastle to be number one, usurping another former Burnley man Nick Pope in the pecking order, while the Magpies are certainly well stocked when it comes to goalkeepers, considering Martin Dúbravka, Odysseas Vlachodimos, John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie are all already on their books.
How James Trafford will improve Newcastle
The 22-year-old is certainly a highly-rated player, with his current manager Scott Parker describing Trafford as “a world-class goalkeeper”, following the Clarets’ 2-1 victory at Vicarage Road against Watford in April.
Meantime, Andy Jones of the Athletic labels him a ‘near-impenetrable brick wall’, praising his ability to ‘anticipate danger and neutralise threats’, while noting that ‘Trafford has high ambitions’, namely aiming to become England’s number one.
Mark Carey of the Athletic described his performances for Burnley in the EFL Championship last season as ‘insane’, so let’s assess if the statistics support this assertion.
Trafford’s 2024/25 Championship statistics
Statistics
Trafford
Championship rank
Goals against
16
1st*
Shots on target faced
103
20th
Saves
85
15th
Save %
84.5%
1st
Clean sheets
29
1st
Clean sheet %
64.4%
1st
% of penalties saved
100.0%
1st
Post-shot xG – goals conceded
+11.8
2nd
Pass completion %
73.3%
6th**
*minimum 1,000 minutes played. **amongst goalkeepers
All statistics courtesy of FBref.com
As the table outlines, Trafford was certainly the most impressive goalkeeper in the Championship last season, with his tally of 29 clean sheets the most any side have enjoyed in a single Football League season ever, surpassing the previous record set by Port Vale in 1953/54.
So why will he be such an exciting addition for Newcastle and for potential, future teammate Scalvini?
Well, Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels the Italian “one of the most talented” centre-backs aged 21 or under in Europe, while Akhilesh Ashok of Total Football Analysis praises Scalvini’s ‘on-ball ability’ as well as his prowess at winning ‘physical battles’, making him the perfect ‘modern-day central defender’.
In possession, Trafford is a clear upgrade on the man he is replacing Pope, while Scalvini can help alleviate the young goalkeeper’s weaknesses, namely that he can be bullied at set-pieces and when it comes to high claims, hence why the duo could form a formidable defensive partnership.
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