Manchester City completes the signing of goalkeeper James Trafford from Burnley

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City completed the signing of James Trafford from Burnley on Tuesday with the goalkeeper returning to the club where he began his career as an academy player.

Trafford signed a five-year contract and was handed the No. 1 jersey.

“Rejoining City is such a special and proud moment both for me and my family. I always dreamed that one day I would be able to come back to Manchester City,” Trafford said. “This is the place I call home.”

City reportedly activated a 27 million pound ($36 million) buy-back clause.

Trafford’s return comes after leaving City for Burnley in 2023 where he helped the club secure promotion to the Premier League last season. He kept a record 29 clean sheets in the second-tier Championship last term.

“James is already one of the most accomplished young goalkeepers in the English game, and we are delighted to welcome him back to Manchester City,” said City director of football Hugo Viana. “He has all the attributes a top-class goalkeeper requires.”

The 22-year-old Trafford is City’s sixth signing of the offseason since its four-year run as English champion was ended by Liverpool.

City manager Pep Guardiola had reshaped his team with the signings of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Cherki and Sverre Nypan.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer