Leeds United have completed the signing of Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford in a deal worth up to £45m, setting a new British goalkeeper transfer record.
The fee surpasses the previous benchmark of £30m, which Everton paid Sunderland for Jordan Pickford back in 2017, marking a significant moment in domestic transfer history.
Trafford becomes one of the most expensive goalkeepers ever, with only Kepa Arrizabalaga, signed for £68m, and Alisson, who cost £62m, commanding higher fees than the 23-year-old.
The deal means more than £80m in initial transfer fees has now been spent on Trafford across his career movements, underlining the high regard clubs hold for the young stopper.
Trafford left Etihad Stadium just 12 months after returning from Burnley, having originally moved to the Clarets in 2023 before City activated their buy-back option last summer for £27m.
His departure was hastened by the arrival of Champions League-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in September, which effectively ended Trafford’s chances of becoming City’s undisputed first choice.
Despite making 17 appearances for City last season, including four in the Premier League and contributions to their Carabao Cup and FA Cup triumphs, regular game time proved elusive for the England international.
As part of the deal, BBC Sport understands Manchester City will retain a 20% sell-on clause and matching rights, giving them first refusal should a future offer arrive for Trafford.
Leeds boss Daniel Farke has moved decisively in goal this summer following the departures of both Karl Darlow and Illan Meslier from Elland Road, leaving Lucas Perri and Alex Cairns as the remaining options before Trafford’s arrival.
Perri had already fallen out of favour, losing his starting place to Darlow in the second half of last season and failing to feature in the Premier League after a 4-3 defeat by Newcastle on 7 January.
Trafford was also part of England’s World Cup squad this summer, though he did not feature, and the Leeds move could reignite his hopes of challenging for the national team’s first-choice goalkeeping berth.
His reputation was built primarily during his time at Burnley, where he conceded just 16 goals in 45 Championship appearances and recorded 29 clean sheets alongside an impressive 84.47% save ratio.
Those numbers were central to Burnley’s promotion back to the Premier League in 2024-25, with former Clarets manager Scott Parker previously describing Trafford as “world class” during that remarkable campaign.
Trafford began his footballing journey at Manchester City and also had loan spells at Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers before making his name at Turf Moor, where he made 73 appearances for the club.
