Nick Pope might have just revealed that Manchester City are set for a £5m windfall in hilarious fashion.
It’s been a great summer for Manchester City in the transfer window so far, with quality trio Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki already revitalising the team after last year’s struggles.
However, the new recruits have understandably come at a cost, with City paying out over £116m in signings already and there could be more to come, with a right-back high on the agenda.
City are blessed with endless riches but the club will still want to balance the books in a PSR world and several departures are expected.
Kevin De Bruyne has already left and Pep Guardiola has made it obvious that Jack Grealish is set to follow him.
James McAtee and Kyle Walker are also likely to leave, though Guardiola does want to keep Matheus Nunes.
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Those sales should hopefully raise a pretty penny and City have already earned over £10m in prize money from their three wins in the Club World Cup, too.
The Blues can also raise funds without even doing anything, thanks to sell-on clauses inserted in the deals of players sold in years gone by.
Now, Nick Pope might have just confirmed City are in for another little bonus thanks to Burnley selling James Trafford.
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Nick Pope suggests Newcastle United are closing in on James Trafford
City sold highly rated goalkeeper Trafford to Burnley in 2023 and he struggled in the Premier League.
However, the 22-year-old rediscovered his form last year and smashed several records as he conceded just 16 goals and kept a remarkable 29 clean sheets.
That attracts attention and Newcastle United want to sign Trafford, with the move looking likely as Burnley have already signed a replacement in Max Weiss.
Now it seems that current Newcastle goalkeeper Pope has confirmed that Trafford is heading to Tyneside by sending him a hilarious comment on Instagram.
Replying to Trafford’s story on the social media platform on Friday afternoon, he said: “See you soon s______.”
If that isn’t an indication that the move is happening, then what is?
Manchester City’s James Trafford sell-on clause amid Newcastle United transfer rumours
City have made hundreds of millions in selling academy prospects for massive sums over the years, with many, like Trafford, never even playing for the club.
In a move to keep making money from them potentially years down the line, City always insist on inserting sell-on fees into the deals.
City sold Trafford for £15m and now Burnley look likely to sell him for as high as £40m.
According to the Manchester Evening News, City have a 20% sell-on clause for any profit Burnley make should they sell Trafford.
If he does go for £40m, that would work out at £25m in profit for the Clarets but £5m of that would head to the Etihad Stadium.