Manchester City have prioritised a move for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

There have been reports in Portugal claiming that the Cityzens are lining up a €60m (£52m) bid for Porto’s Diogo Costa. CityXtra shared a story written by MEN‘s Tyrone Marshall that denied the club’s interest in Portuguese international and Romano responded by saying:

Trafford is the name. 😉

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 21, 2025

That makes it clear in no uncertain terms that Trafford is the keeper that Pep Guardiola’s side will be pursuing if Ederson or Stefan Ortega are sold.

What is the latest on Ederson’s future?

The Brazilian international poured cold water on speculation linking him with a move away from the Etihad Stadium last month. During the Club World Cup, he said he would be staying with City.

However, since then, there have been reports that Ederson has agreed personal terms with Galatasaray. The Turkish champions have not made a formal bid for the keeper yet, so there is still a chance that the move won’t happen.

Man City won’t pay Trafford’s buyback clause

It should be pointed out that the Cityzens have the option of re-signing Burnley’s no.1 for £40m at any time this summer, but they are reluctant to pay that much for the 22-year-old.

If they do enter talks with the Clarets, it is believed that they will look to pay less than the price written into the buyback clause.

For what it’s worth, Trafford has now given the green light to return to Manchester. There was competition from Newcastle but it appears the Magpies have cooled their interest following City’s decision to enter the race for the shot-stopper.

In other news, an Italian club’s sporting director has confirmed that there was a release clause in a Man City target’s contract