CJ Egan-Riley was reportedly a target for Birmingham City and Wrexham but he will be joining Strasbourg instead.placeholder image
CJ Egan-Riley was reportedly a target for Birmingham City and Wrexham but he will be joining Strasbourg instead. | Getty Images
Burnley have moved to sign a goalkeeper as Newcastle United eye their current number one James Trafford.
German goalkeeper Max Weiss has joined the newly-promoted Premier League side on a four-year contract from Bundesliga 2 outfit Kalsruher SC in a deal worth a reported £4.2million.
Burnley club statement
A club statement read: “Burnley Football Club are pleased to confirm the arrival of goalkeeper Max Weiß from Karlsruher SC on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
“Born in Speyer, Germany, the 21-year-old came through TSG Hoffenheim and SV Sandhausen academies before joining Karlsruher SC academy in 2019. Impressing between the sticks, he signed his first professional contract with the Club in 2022.
“The youngster went on to become the first-choice goalkeeper for the 2024/25 season, helping the Bundesliga.2 side to an eighth-place finish in a campaign in which he didn’t miss a game.
“Internationally, Weiß represented Germany at U18, U19 and U20 levels and will continue his development in Lancashire with Scott Parker’s team.”
Max Weiss reacts Burnley move
Commenting on his move to Turf Moor, Weiss said: “I’m really excited to be here. It’s an amazing Club with a big ambition and all the conversations I have had with people from here have been so good and very positive.
“The training ground facility looks amazing, the pitches are so nice and I can’t wait to get in for pre-season and meet the rest of the team.”
Burnley sign James Trafford replacement?
According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Burnley believe Weiss has the potential to become their long-term number one as Newcastle look to strike a deal with their current number one.
The Magpies have re-opened talks over a deal for Trafford. The England international was set to sign last summer only for United to pull the plug when they agreed to sign Greek goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos as part of the PSR swindle that saw Elliot Anderson join Nottingham Forest.
Trafford enjoyed a standout campaign at Burnley last season as he a record 29 clean sheets and conceded just 16 goals as Scott Parker’s side won automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
As a result, the 22-year-old’s price tag has increased closer to the £40million but an agreement could be struck soon with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano expecting talks to accelerate from next week.
He wrote on X: “Negotiations between Newcastle and Burnley for James Trafford are underway. Club to club talks continue as the deal can happen from July, so expected to accelerate from next week.”
James Trafford still keen on Newcastle United move
Should Burnley and Newcastle reach an agreement, personal terms with Trafford aren’t expected to be an issue.
Trafford is understood to still be keen on a move after publicly admitting last month he wanted the move to Tyneside last summer.
“In the summer I think people knew I wanted to move,” Trafford told Fozcast. “The club that I was close to going, it was a good fit for me. It was brilliant for me and I really believed in it.
“I wanted to move, not just because I didn’t want to play in the Championship, I had no shame playing in the Championship. I have no ego to think I’m better than the Championship. You only prove something by performing and showing people. You can say whatever you want but unless you perform.
“It was just when an opportunity and a situation you think suits you can happen, you should take it and you should try and go for it, so I wanted to move. It was close but it didn’t end up happening
“The manager was brilliant throughout pre-season. I wasn’t the best, I was moody because I’m young and I wanted to move, but in the moment I still worked extremely hard.
“I knew the longer it went on, the reality became I would be playing the first game of the season and I wanted to play. I told the manager I’m available if he wanted to select me. If not, I’ll sit on the bench, but I’m available. He played me the first game and that was it.”
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