Who is James Trafford: Transfer news for England under 21 penalty hero, is he joining Burnley

James Trafford was the man of the moment in England’s Under 21 Euro triumph as the young goalkeeper showed nerves of steel to deny Spanish striker Abel Ruiz with a last minute penalty save.

Trafford’s heroics helped England’s young lions secure a 1-0 win over Spain in the final and their first Under 21 triumph since 1984.  

The Manchester City shot-stopper impressed throughout the six game tournament and he became the first goalkeeper in history to win the Under 21 European Championships without conceding a single goal.

Trafford’s sensational form in Georgia has won him a number of plaudits in recent weeks and he has been tipped to become a future England regular by many fans on social media.

The 20-year-old prospect has attracted interest from a number of teams including Premier League new-boys Burnley who look to be in pole position to sign Trafford.

But who has James Trafford played for in his career so far and how much is he likely to cost The Clarets this summer?

Here is everything you need to know.

Who is James Trafford?

James Trafford is an English professional goalkeeper who has recently lifted the Under-21 European Championship with England.

Trafford was born 10 October 2002 and he has been a member of the Manchester City academy since he was 13-years-old. 

During this time he has played with Under 21 team mates Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Cole Palmer and Tommy Doyle. The group were all a part of the team which won the under 23 Premier League in 2020/21.

Trafford has been a part of the England youth set up since 2018 and he has progressively featured at all youth levels from under 17 upwards.

The young goalkeeper made his first team debut in 2021 when he was loaned out to Accrington Stanley in League 1. His impressive form caught the attention of play-off chasing Bolton who brought him on loan for the second half of the season.

Trafford remained with Bolton last season and was an ever present in a team which missed out on promotion in the play-off semi-finals. The 6ft 6 goalkeeper earned plaudits for his performances and broke the record for most clean sheets in a season for Bolton with 26. He also was awarded Bolton’s Young Player of the Year award.

Is James Trafford joining Burnley?

Newly-promoted Burnley are edging closer to a move to sign James Trafford from Manchester City and they have reportedly agreed a club record fee of £19 million, including add ons.

Man City have included a buy-back option into the deal for Trafford, who now has to complete a medical and agree personal terms with Burnley.

Vincent Kompany led Burnley to promotion from the Championship last term and it is likely that Trafford will replace last year’s first choice goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, who was also signed from Man City.

Kompany is no stranger to signing players from his former club and he also loaned in England U21 captain Taylor Harwood Bellis last season.