Newcastle United have been handed a big boost in their attempts to sign Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford this summer.
Newcastle are prepared to pay up to £30million for Trafford, who almost joined the club last summer.
Indeed, Newcastle are expected to open talks to sign Trafford imminently, as Eddie Howe looks to land the 22-year-old at last.
Now, it seems as if Burnley are closing in on what could be seen as a replacement for Trafford, just as Newcastle look to accelerate talks.
Burnley close to signing James Trafford replacement
According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Burnley are set to sign Karlsruher SC goalkeeper Max Weiss.
It’s said that the Clarets have booked a medical for the 21-year-old, who is set to sign a long-term contract at Turf Moor after they agreed a £4.2million fee with the German second division side.
Interestingly, Burnley are also said to be of the belief that Weiss could establish himself as their No.1 option between the sticks long-term.
The secret agent Newcastle United have in their squad for James Trafford deal
Interestingly, Trafford is close friends with Newcastle midfielder Joe White.
White has only played a handful of times for Howe’s side and spent last season on loan at MK Dons.
It therefore seems unlikely that he’ll get much of a chance in the first-team next season, although Howe will need to have options in the Newcastle United squad for the Champions League campaign to come.
Trafford has agreed to join Newcastle and, hopefully, the club can finally reach an agreement with Burnley in the coming days to get their summer business underway.
This has been a long saga on Tyneside. What it means for Nick Pope remains to be seen, although the hope will surely be the two compete for a starting berth under the Newcastle United manager.
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