James Trafford clause complicates Newcastle's bid to strike deal with Burnley - Report

Newcastle United’s status of having ‘the richest owners in world football’ is as much a blessing as it is a curse.

It’s no secret that we’re perceived by clubs both in the Premier League and across Europe as being a lot wealthier than what we actually are, with this ‘Saudi tax’ seeing clubs continually inflate their prices, it seems.

But the club has stood its ground on numerous occasions, threatening to abandon pursuing their top targets if that means not overpaying.

In the case of James Trafford, it’s looking like the same old story, and new details have emerged which could explain why Burnley are demanding up to £40m...

Sell on clause could scupper Trafford transfer

Over the past week, our interest in Burnley's James Trafford has intensified, with Eddie Howe keen to pit him against Nick Pope for our No.1 spot.

However, negotiations with the Clarets look to have taken a turn for the worse in the last 24 hours.

According to The Telegraph, Burnley have raised their asking price for Trafford to close to £40m, significantly more than the £25-30m that we may have expected to pay earlier in the year.

Discussing Burnley's demands, Luke Edwards reveals that talks have been complicated by the fact Man City inserted a 20% sell-on clause in his contract when he signed at Turf Moor for £15m back in 2023.

This would mean that if Newcastle were to spend £30m on Trafford, £6m would go directly to the Cityzens. A £40m purchase would gift Guardiola’s side £8m, and so on.

This isn’t the first roadblock we’ve encountered with Burnley, as The Telegraph also report that Scott Parker side may be stalling in talks with Newcastle in hope Chelsea will join the race and spark a possible bidding war.

Another player we’re priced out of?

£40m for a goalkeeper playing in the Championship last season on paper seems like a significant overpayment.

However, paying this sort of money for a 22-year-old who is being tipped to replace Jordan Pickford as England’s No.1 in time may seem like a steal.

It’s a headache that Howe and the club hierarchy didn’t need: a player we’ve had our eyes on for years, and who looked like a shoe-in to be joining us after months of speculation, but one that may cost more than we'd initially planned.

Whilst it would come as no surprise to see us to stick with our plans and spend a little extra cash to get it done, there have been other options linked, such as Borussia Dortmund's Gregor Kobel and Lucas Chevalier of Lille.