Contact made: Liverpool step up pursuit of 21y/o with ‘top mentality’; his club need to sell
Liverpool are believed to have stepped up their pursuit of one reported transfer target.
According to Graeme Bailey for TBR Football, the Reds are among several clubs to have made contact over a possible move for James Trafford, with Burnley preparing to sell the 21-year-old in order to avoid future problems with profit and sustainability laws.
Indeed, the Clarets are apparently so eager to stave off any financial worries that they’re hoping to get the prospective sale completed before the end of this month.
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With Caoimhin Kelleher hinting at a desire to move on from Liverpool and establish himself as a first-choice elsewhere, a new goalkeeper may soon climb up the summer transfer priority list for Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards.
Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League makes it inevitable that Trafford will be sold, not just to avoid any issues with financial regulations but also because of the player’s probable desire to remain in the top flight, both of which could well play into LFC’s hands.
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The 21-year-old, who was praised for his ‘top mentality‘ by England under-21 boss Lee Carsley after their European triumph last July, knows that he’d be a backup to Alisson Becker if he comes to Anfield, but he ended the 2023/24 season as second choice at Turf Moor as Vincent Kompany preferred Ari Muric.
Considering some of the howlers that the Kosovo international committed in the final few weeks of the campaign, it begs the question as to why the English youngster continued to be overlooked by the now-Bayern Munich head coach.
Trafford may be watching Kelleher’s situation closely to see if an opening as Alisson’s immediate backup will materialise at Liverpool. If the Irishman departs, the need for a new goalkeeper will increase substantially, at which point it’ll be up to Edwards and Hughes to present the most convincing sales pitch they can conjure.
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