Aston Villa are among the clubs who are paying close attention to the situation of Manchester City star James Trafford ahead of this summer, Fabrizio Romano has told the GIVEMESPORT Market Madness podcast.
The Villans are pushing to return to the Champions League and currently sit fourth in the Premier League table, seven points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea with just six games remaining, and plans are already beginning to be made for the summer transfer window.
The club were close to losing first-choice goalkeeper Emi Martinez last summer, before a late move to Man Utd collapsed and the World Cup winner stayed, but the Argentine could be on the move this time around, and the club have already identified his potential replacement.
Aston Villa Eyeing James Trafford
james trafford
Trafford, who has been described as 'world-class', moved to the Etihad Stadium last summer from Burnley, but quickly lost his starting spot at the club as Pep Guardiola brought in Gianluigi Donnarumma too.
That has seen the England international spend most of the campaign on the bench, although he did start the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal, and a number of clubs are understood to be ready to offer him a route back to regular first-team football.
While appearing on the latest episode of the Market Madness podcast, Romano revealed that Villa are one of the clubs paying close attention to his situation.
"So, City are very happy with him," he said.
"So at the moment, he's not actively asking to go, but obviously there is a lot of interest. One season spent on the bench can be okay in Manchester City, but then James Trafford prefers to play. So at the moment, he's not pushing to go. He wants to focus on this end of the season, help Man City as much as possible, and then in the summer, to review his situation, together with his agents.
"For sure there plenty of interest in James Trafford. For example, Aston Villa is one of the clubs considering this possibility, because Emi Martinez could leave the club in the summer.
"There are more clubs in the Premier League interested in him. So I think it could be a busy summer for James Trafford."
Trafford Would be Top Martinez Replacement
James Trafford applauding the Burnley supporters
Trafford has shown on a regular basis that he is more than capable of being a number one goalkeeper in the Premier League, and a club like Villa could be perfect for him to establish himself.
Martinez would leave some big shoes to fill, but he is not as good as he once was anymore, and Trafford's potential is exciting, with plenty of room for growth.
Any deal would be unlikely to be super expensive either, considering City paid just £27m for him one year ago, and it could be the perfect bit of business by Villa to strengthen their squad for the now and the future simultaneously.
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