Newcastle United are reportedly hoping to finalise a late move for James Trafford after reviving their interest in the Burnley goalkeeper.
The 21-year-old was first-choice goalkeeper for the Clarets last season and despite their relegation from the Premier League, Trafford caught the eye with a number of standout performances in goal in his 28 appearances.
Eddie Howe is a fan of the England Under-21 international, who was named in Gareth Southgate's provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024 squad before being cut from the final list.
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The Magpies saw a £16million bid turned down by Burnley earlier in the transfer window, with the club looking to retrieve the £20m they spent on the Manchester City trainee in July 2023.
But according to talkSPORT, they are set to launch another bid to bring Trafford to St James' Park by offering a second proposal.
Newcastle would prefer to arrange a loan deal with an obligation to buy to assist them with meeting PSR requirements, and it remains to be seen if Burnley will entertain such an offer.
The Championship outfit have sold a number of star players and boosted their coffers, with Wilson Odobert and Sander Berge moving on for sizeable fees, while Arijanet Muric and Dara O'Shea joined Ipswich for a combined £30m.
That means they are not under any urgent pressure to let Trafford leave this summer, although the player is keen to return to the top flight before the transfer window closes.
Howe may have to raise funds by selling some of his own out-of-favour players, with Kieran Trippier expected to depart in the coming days amid interest from Everton.
Trafford missed the first domestic game of the season as rumours swirled concerning his future, but he returned to the team on Saturday for their 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
Burnley boss Scott Parker was asked about the goalkeeper's future last week and he insisted that he would continue as his No. 1 goalkeeper at Turf Moor as long as he is available.
“At this moment in time, he’s here. What you need to understand is that speculation is speculation. James is here and James has got the shirt, hence why he played," Parker said.
“To answer your question - is he the number one? At this moment in time, he is. But in saying that he’s got someone behind him, or two others behind him that will push and try and get that shirt off him.
“What happens in the future? I don't know, I can’t answer that. But as of now, this is someone who I thought was brilliant on Monday night. He showed his quality again."
