Nick Pope has seemingly confirmed that James Trafford will sign for Newcastle United with a hilarious four-word message to the England international.
After over a year of interest, it now finally looks like the Magpies are going to get their man.
Newcastle United were close to signing James Trafford in 2024, but PSR struggles forced them to back out of the deal and wait for their next chance to sign him. Fast forward to 2025, and Trafford to Newcastle is now closer than ever.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Trafford has agreed personal terms with Newcastle, but the transfer fee between the two clubs appears to be a stumbling block. It was confirmed that Newcastle had a bid of £25m plus add-ons rejected for Trafford, but another offer is coming in shortly.
Newcastle are at least £5m away from signing Trafford, but Nick Pope appears to have publicly confirmed that Trafford is very close to signing for the Magpies after sending him a message on social media.
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Newcastle are expected to put big money down in July, with the Magpies seemingly waiting for the PSR deadline to come around to receive £73m. Their heavy losses will fall off the PSR cycle in the next few days and give them a lot more money to spend.
It looks likely that Trafford to Newcastle will be complete next week once that money comes in, but for now, fans can only sit patiently and wonder what Eddie Howe has up his sleeve in the transfer market.
In the meantime, Pope has sent a hilarious message to Trafford, seemingly confirming that he is close to joining. On Trafford’s Instagram story, Pope said: “see you soon s——“.
The message was in response to a video Trafford had shared of him saving a penalty in the Under-21s European Championship final in 2023. It is unclear whether Pope knew that his message was public, but it is certainly out there now.
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Whether Nick Pope will leave Newcastle United if James Trafford signs
While Pope seems excited at the thought of Trafford joining, it does affect his career quite significantly.
Trafford will likely become Newcastle’s No.1 shortly after joining the club, leaving Pope to drop to the bench for the foreseeable future.
Now 33, Pope is still in the prime of his career for a goalkeeper, so he is more than capable of retaining his place in Howe’s starting XI next season. It has been confirmed that Pope wants to stay at Newcastle next season and fight for his place alongside Trafford.
All roads lead to the younger shot-stopper eventually taking his place, but Pope can put in a good shift before the inevitable happens.
Pope and Trafford will work alongside each other on the training pitch, but it is clear what the long-term goal is.
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