Manchester City are facing a potential goalkeeping crisis due to two of their stoppers—including £31 million ($40.9 million) summer signing James Trafford—eyeing a January departure from the club.
City spent big money on Trafford as recently as July, agreeing a deal with Burnley that made the former England Under-21 star the most expensive British goalkeeper ever, surpassing the £30 million transfer that took Jordan Pickford from Sunderland to Everton in 2017.
A quirk of the Trafford deal actually saw City get £4 million back due to the sell-on fee inserted into the transfer agreement when the club had previously sold him to Burnley in 2023.
Trafford began 2025–26 as Pep Guardiola’s starter in goal, getting the nod ahead of Ederson. But shaky early performances, including in a chastening defeat to Tottenham Hotspur left fans uneasy. Further developments then saw Paris Saint-Germain surprisingly decide to move on from Gianluigi Donnarumma, with City taking the opportunity to land the Italian on Deadline Day.
The 2025 Yashin Trophy winner was actually slightly cheaper than Trafford, while Ederson left for Fenerbahçe as part of the process to create the space for him.
Donnarumma has started every Premier League game since and it has left Trafford in a difficult and arguably humiliating position, signed and replaced within the space of a single transfer window. His only subsequent appearances have been in the Carabao Cup and a 2–0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen.
The reports that Trafford is now looking at the January window with a view to leaving, having been told when he arrived that he would be No. 1. It was hoped that he might be able to use the move to City to challenge Pickford for England’s starting berth going into the 2026 World Cup. Instead, his sudden relegation to a backup role at club level could see Trafford miss out altogether.
Newcastle United might be an option for him, after the interested Magpies were beaten to his signature by City during the summer. Eddie Howe’s team ended up taking Aaron Ramsdale on loan from Southampton, but it was veteran Nick Pope who held on to No. 1 status.
Trafford isn’t the only goalkeeper considering his future. The adds that Stefan Ortega, formerly the semi-regularly seen reserve to Ederson, also has intentions to leave. The German, who made 56 appearances in three seasons prior to 2025–26, has been relegated to third choice and hasn’t even been selected on the bench since the opening day of the Premier League campaign in August.
