Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, looks on prior to the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on February 04, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images)placeholder image
Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, looks on prior to the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Manchester City and Newcastle United at Etihad Stadium on February 04, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Kate McShane/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Man City have been linked to signing a Premier League goalkeeper ahead of the summer transfer window.
Man City managed to secure their spot in the Carabao Cup final, after they beat Newcastle United 5-1 on aggregate, to book a spot at Wembley against rivals Arsenal, who overcame Chelsea in the semi-final.
Pep Guardiola has trusted James Trafford in goal during the Carabao Cup, even though Gianluigi Donnarumma is the first-choice keeper at the Etihad. Trafford and Donnarumma both joined in the summer, leaving City with too much quality in goal.
Trafford seems happy in his role, but there will come a time when the 22-year-old wants to become the starter. Nevertheless, Man City have arguably the best goalkeeper duo in the Premier League.
Man City linked to bizarre £50m Robin Roefs bid
Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs has been one of the best in the Premier League this season. The Black Cats signed him in the summer transfer window from Dutch side NEC, and he’s since kept eight clean sheets in 24 Premier League matches under Regis Le Bris.
Despite Roefs being so good, it does come as a surprise to hear that reports are linking Man City to a move for the Sunderland stopper, because Guardiola already has two top-quality options in between the sticks.
However, according to Football Insider, Sunderland are expecting a £50m bid for Roefs in the summer, and are prepared for interest from Liverpool, Chelsea, and bizarrely, Manchester City. The report claims that Sunderland signed goalkeeper Melker Ellborg from Malmö in January due to concerns about losing Roefs in the summer.
Should Man City go after Roefs, you would have to assume that one of Trafford or Donnarumma would leave, as they wouldn’t spend £50m on a third-string goalkeeper, especially considering the other two options that Guardiola has.
Could Trafford leave in the summer?
Seeing as the Italian goalkeeper is just 26, he could realistically be City’s first choice for another ten years, considering how good he is, and so where does that leave Trafford, because he won’t want to spend his whole career playing second fiddle to one of the best keepers in the world.
Newcastle were linked to signing Trafford in the summer, before Man City jumped in and signed him, so the Magpies could potentially make another move for the 22-year-old, as Nick Pope isn’t getting any younger and will eventually need replacing.
It is also understood that Chelsea is still keen to upgrade at the back, as Robert Sanchez has been fairly inconsistent over the past couple of years. Trafford would fit the young mould of player that the Blues want to bring in; however, City would likely be reluctant to sell Trafford to a team that could rival them for a Premier League title in the coming years.
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