Manchester City's summer transfer business is beginning to take shape, with the club closing in on a goalkeeper signing just as one of their current stoppers departs for Leeds United.
James Trafford has sealed a move to Elland Road in a deal worth up to £45m, a club-record fee for Leeds as they continue to strengthen under Daniel Farke. The 23-year-old England international has signed a five-year contract, becoming Farke's third addition of the summer following the exits of Illan Meslier and Karl Darlow, who joined Arsenal and Manchester United respectively in backup roles, while Lucas Perri had also fallen out of favour at Elland Road.
City have protected their interests in the deal, inserting a 20 per cent sell-on clause along with a matching rights option that would allow them to re-sign Trafford for a third time should he ever leave Leeds. The goalkeeper originally returned to the Etihad last summer from Burnley, with City matching a £31m offer from Newcastle after his standout campaign helped the Clarets win promotion. However, his time at City was complicated by the subsequent arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain, a signing that pushed Trafford down the pecking order. Despite starting City's first three league matches of the season, he made just one further league appearance, though he did feature in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup final victories over Arsenal and Chelsea before heading to the World Cup with England.
With Trafford's exit confirmed, City are now targeting Marseille and Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli as a replacement to serve as Donnarumma's understudy. Talks are reportedly ongoing for the move.
Elsewhere, City's transfer activity this summer has been relatively subdued. Elliot Anderson remains their only major first-team signing to date, arriving from Nottingham Forest for a club-record £116m fee, effectively filling the void left by Bernardo Silva's departure to Real Madrid. Teenage winger Jeremy Monga has joined from Leicester and is expected to feature for the academy side, while goalkeeper Pierce Charles and winger Mathys Detourbet have both been sent out on loan immediately after signing.
Nico Gonzalez, who arrived from Porto for £50m last January, has faced speculation over his future after struggling for consistent minutes last season. The 24-year-old made 41 appearances across all competitions, including a memorable winning goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton, but was often in and out of the starting line-up. Speaking during pre-season, in which he has already featured against Inter Milan and a K-League XI, Gonzalez made clear he wants to remain at the club. "I'm happy here," he said. "I don't want to leave and I think the club wants me to stay... My dream is to win trophies. If I don't play any matches and we win the Champions League next year, I will be so happy."
New manager Enzo Maresca acknowledged this week that City "need to do something" in the transfer market, with director of football Hugo Viana and chief executive Ferran Soriano both travelling to South Korea, where the squad is based for pre-season, to address the situation. Despite the slow pace of dealings, sources close to the club insist there is no panic, citing the January arrivals of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi as evidence of a considered transfer strategy.
Several players could yet depart the Etihad. Rodri remains without a new contract and has drawn interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, while Tijjani Reijnders looks likely to leave, with Nottingham Forest among his suitors. Winger Savinho has also been linked with a move away, with Tottenham said to have explored a deal, though nothing concrete has emerged. Any departures are expected to be followed by fresh incomings, with City monitoring Chelsea's Pedro Neto and holding talks over Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport and The Independent.