Leeds United Reach Verbal Agreement with Man City for Club Record £40m+ Deal to Sign James Trafford

One of the Championship’s most exciting transfer stories of the summer is reaching its conclusion. Leeds United have reached a verbal agreement with Manchester City to sign goalkeeper James Trafford in a club record deal worth £40m plus add-ons. Leeds United have agreed a deal to sign James Trafford from Manchester City for an initial fee of £40 million. A long-term deal has been offered to Trafford, with the 23-year-old set to become the most expensive signing in Leeds United’s history.

Who is James Trafford?

James Harrington Trafford was born on 10 October 2002 in Cockermouth, England. He stands at 6ft 6in and plays as a goalkeeper.

Trafford was born in Cockermouth, Cumbria, and grew up in the nearby village of Greysouthen in a farming family. He attended Cockermouth School and St Bede’s College, Manchester, and learned to drive on a tractor, returning in his early career to help out on the family farm.

Trafford came through the Manchester City academy before embarking on a series of loan moves that shaped him into one of England’s most promising goalkeepers. His spell at Bolton Wanderers was particularly transformative. He was voted Bolton’s Young Player of the Year for the 2022–23 season, together with Conor Bradley, with his performances during the season earning him a place in the PFA Team of the Year for League One.

In the 2024–25 EFL Championship season, James Trafford was named the best goalkeeper after keeping an extraordinary 29 clean sheets with Burnley. That record-breaking campaign helped fire Burnley back into the Premier League.

Transfer at a Glance

Career Timeline

Season-by-Season Career Stats

The Deal: How It Came Together

The deal is a club record fee for Leeds and will make Trafford the most expensive British goalkeeper ever for a second time, surpassing his £31m move to Manchester City last summer.

Leeds United have won the race to sign the 23-year-old, despite competition from Premier League rivals, including Newcastle United.

The Athletic are reporting that the transfer fee is £40m plus bonuses and is close to being finalised.

Why Trafford is Leaving Manchester City

Trafford has been keen to leave the Etihad after struggling for first-team football last season. Having signed amid an expectation that he would be Pep Guardiola’s number one, the subsequent signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain restricted him to a back-up role.

Trafford made 17 appearances in all competitions last season, though only four in the Premier League. However, he did play a prominent part in City’s FA Cup and League Cup double, starting both finals.

Throughout his career, Trafford has won 11 titles, including the FA Cup (2025/26), the Premier League (2020/21), and the EFL Cup (2025/26, 2020/21) with Manchester City, the EURO U21 (2023) with England U21, and the EFL Trophy (2022/23) with Bolton Wanderers.

Despite those cup contributions, the arrival of Donnarumma made it abundantly clear that Trafford’s path to regular first-team football lay elsewhere. Leeds United, now back in the Premier League, represent the perfect platform for the 23-year-old to cement himself as one of England’s elite number ones.

Trafford’s Standout Season at Burnley (2024–25)

The 2024–25 Championship campaign is where Trafford truly announced himself to the wider football world. The 2024–25 EFL Championship season saw Trafford keep 29 clean sheets with Burnley, earning him the Best Goalkeeper award for the season.

After 33 games, Trafford and Burnley had conceded only nine goals, the fewest in the history of English football at that point of the season. His performances were central to Burnley’s promotion back to the Premier League alongside Leeds United and Sunderland.

At the other end of the scale, his 2023–24 Premier League campaign at Burnley with Vincent Kompany told a different story. The season concluded with Trafford having made 17 Premier League appearances, conceding 32 goals at an average of 1.88 per game, with two clean sheets and a save percentage of 68% — statistics that fell below the standards required for Premier League survival. A back injury sustained in training in February 2024 required surgery to address a disc issue, sidelining him for the remainder of the season.

A Club Record in Context: Leeds’ Biggest Signings

International Career

Trafford is a current England international, having earned two senior caps, and stands at 1.92m. His pathway through the England youth ranks was extensive, representing his country from U17 level all the way through to the senior squad. His breakthrough season at Burnley, where he kept 29 clean sheets in the Championship, played a significant role in his elevation to the England senior setup.

What Trafford Brings to Leeds

Trafford is an imposing, commanding presence in goal. At 6ft 6in, his size gives him a natural advantage in aerial situations and from set-pieces. His Championship season demonstrated elite-level shot-stopping ability, with an extraordinary save percentage of 85.2% in 2024–25. His distribution and footwork also align well with the demands of the modern goalkeeper, making him an ideal fit for any team looking to build from the back.

At age 22, he occupies a developmental sweet spot for goalkeepers, with modern history suggesting that elite-level shot-stoppers often peak between ages 26 and 30, providing a window for Trafford to refine his weaknesses and build on his natural strengths.

Leeds are making a bold statement with this signing — not only breaking their own club record but committing to a goalkeeper who has the potential to serve them at the highest level for the next decade.

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