Newcastle United have opened negotiations to sign James Trafford from Burnley as Eddie Howe begins shaping the next phase of his rebuild at St James’ Park, but the talented goalkeeper isn’t the only player of their radar today.
Talks are already underway for Trafford, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the deal could accelerate after July 1, when the Premier League’s new financial year begins under Profit and Sustainability rules. The fee is expected to land in the region of £30 million.
The 21-year-old, a former Man City academy product, was key to Burnley’s promotion from the Championship in 2022/23 and has remained on Newcastle’s radar as they target a long-term number one.
Trafford set a new second-tier record with 12 straight clean sheets and played a pivotal role in Scott Parker’s side conceding just 16 goals all season.
Trafford has since won 19 caps at England Under-21 level and was included in Gareth Southgate’s senior squad last month.
Burnley, meanwhile, are already lining up a replacement. Sky Germany report the Clarets are close to signing Karlsruhe’s Max Weiss for around €5 million.
The falling transfer dominoes could also see Leeds United step up their pursuit of Nick Pope.
But Newcastle’s ambitions don’t stop at a new goalkeeper, as sources in Italy have confirmed that the Magpies are also showing interest in Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini, although the deal may prove far more difficult to pull off.
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Scalvini, 20, is one of the most highly rated young centre-backs in Serie A and already has eight senior caps for Italy, but a torn ACL limited him to just eight appearances last season. Despite that, he was still involved in Atalanta’s Europa League final win over Bayer Leverkusen, coming on at half-time to help secure a 3-0 victory.
Transfer insider Matteo Moretto has confirmed Newcastle’s interest but warns that Atalanta are currently refusing to negotiate.
“Newcastle is trying to strengthen their squad, aiming for a central defender,” Moretto said. “I can reveal to you that one of the names that Newcastle has within their agenda is Giorgio Scalvini, the Italian defender of Atalanta.
“For Atalanta, he is not for sale. Atalanta does not want to lose Scalvini, and they consider him a key player for next season.
“However, we will have to see whether Newcastle really want to put forward an interesting and important proposal for him.
“There has also been interest from other Italian teams, including Napoli, but there is no development.”
Scalvini has already racked up over 50 senior appearances in Serie A and has eight Italy caps to his name. He was part of the squad that won the 2023/24 Europa League, coming on at half-time in the final to help Atalanta to a 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Newcastle have also been linked with Marc Guehi, Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen and Jan Paul van Hecke during this window. They always looked like difficult deals, but with Atalanta holding firm, Scalvini could be one of the most difficult of the lot.
