Revealed: Newcastle fearful of Chelsea hijacking in transfer talks over Burnley & England goalkeeper James Trafford

Trafford is hot property after a superb season in the Championship with Burnley and is a target for two Champions League clubs, according to The Telegraph. Newcastle believed they led the chase but now suspect Chelsea will come in for the goalkeeper, too.

Both clubs could be forced to fork out up to £40m for Trafford, who has been named in both of Thomas Tuchel's two England squads in 2025. Eddie Howe is keen to sign him to compete with Nick Pope for the number one shirt at St James' Park, while Chelsea are clearly in the market for a goalkeeper having failed in a move to sign Mike Maignan from AC Milan this week.

Trafford had a record-breaking season at Championship level for Burnley, who conceded just 16 goals across a 46-game season on their way to automatic promotion back to the top tier. That included a string of remarkable saves from their stopper, who is now fancied by top clubs.

Trafford's future may be decided by what Newcastle opt to prioritise in the window, according to the report. The club are also targeting Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga and Joao Pedro of Brighton.