Newcastle United Pursues Goalkeeping Reinforcements with Talks for Rushworth and Trafford
Club in discussions for Brighton's Carl Rushworth and Manchester City's James Trafford to bolster goalkeeping ranks.
Newcastle United is actively seeking to strengthen its goalkeeping position, engaging in discussions for Brighton & Hove Albion's Carl Rushworth and continuing to pursue Manchester City's James Trafford.
The club aims to secure one of these two highly-rated players to compete for the role of their new number one goalkeeper. Rushworth, who spent last season on loan at Coventry City, has reportedly drawn two rejected offers exceeding £20 million from Newcastle. The 25-year-old is said to be eager for regular first-team football.
Newcastle has a long-standing interest in Trafford, having made previous attempts to sign the England international. Reports in April indicated that Trafford was once again a primary target for the club. However, his current position as deputy to Gianluigi Donnarumma at Manchester City makes his potential transfer more costly, with an estimated fee of around £30 million.
The club has already signed 20-year-old French prospect Ewen Jaouen for £20 million and currently has 34-year-old Nick Pope as its established number one. It is understood that Pope might depart once Newcastle secures its latest goalkeeping target.
Newcastle is keen to finalize signings after a disappointing transfer window that saw them miss out on targets Victor Munoz and Johan Manzambi. The club has generated £85 million from the sale of Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur and has so far resisted Arsenal's interest in Bruno Guimaraes.