Report says Newcastle United are pushing on with talks over move for James Trafford
It seems like forever ago that it was reported Newcastle United and Burnley we 'close' to agreeing a fee for James Trafford.
Indeed, that news broke around the same time as Newcastle's bid for Anthony Elanga came to light, and if anything, the Trafford move seemed the one most likely to be done first.
James Trafford has been keen on a move to St James' Park for a year, ever since a proposed move fell apart last summer.
However, we're now just waiting for official confirmation that Anthony Elanga is a Newcastle player, while Burnley and Newcastle still haven't agreed on a fee for Trafford.
Newcastle are back in talks with Burnley over James Trafford
Amid all of the Anthony Elanga excitement, everything has gone quiet on the Trafford front, but now The Chronicle is claiming that Newcastle are ramping up talks around the young goalkeeper.
The two clubs are still quite far apart on their valuation, with Burnley holding out for £40 million and Newcastle offering £27 million plus add-ons.
Last summer it was believed that £20 million would have been enough to get the deal done, but James Trafford is coming off the back of a tremendous season which saw him keep 29 clean sheets as he helped Burnley regain their Premier League status, so it's hardly surprising Burnley are asking for more money.
It wouldn't be the end of the world if Newcastle had to pay £40m for Trafford
We're happy that Newcastle are sticking to their task, though and not walking away from the deal just yet. It would be the height of arrogance to expect Burnley to bow down to our demands of such a low fee for a player who was so instrumental for them last season. We won't do it for Liverpool with Isak, so we shouldn't expect other clubs to do it for us.
As we said about Elanga today, even if we end up having to part with £40 million for Trafford this summer, it's not about what he's worth now, but what he will be worth in the future. At 22, Trafford is still very, very young for a goalkeeper, and his value will only go up as he heads towards his peak.
Newcastle could end up with a world-class goalkeeper for the next 15 years, or we could end up making a huge profit in a few years if we decide to sell him. £40 million might seem like a lot now, but it is definitely an investment.
