James Trafford proposed move to Newcastle delayed by clause and Burnley complications

However, despite strong indications that James Trafford was also edging ever closer to signing at St James’ Park, his proposed move from Burnley has been delayed, it seems.

Talks have been ongoing for weeks, yet a breakthrough seemed imminent when Fabrizio Romano and Luke Edwards suggested the deal was ‘pretty much done’ (Edwards’ words) at the end of June, while Romano claimed the deal was ‘advancing.’

Trafford wants the move – he has done for 12 months – and personal terms won’t be a problem, but there appears to be a few issues to sort out.

It is our information that a 20% sell-on clause Man City inserted into his initial move to Turf Moor is part of the problem. A £30m deal would see the Clarets immediately hand £6m to the Sky Blues.

This has been known for some time, but has factored into Burnley’s high asking price, with the Clarets hoping to squeeze more out of Newcastle given a heft chunk of our offer will head straight to the Etihad.

So, have Burnley moved the goalposts late, aiming to capitalise on confidence from Newcastle’s end and our long pursuit for who is clearly Eddie Howe’s long-term target? That is the suspicion.

Craig Hope has also offered an update on the Trafford saga on Tuesday night, revealing that talks this week haven’t led to a breakthrough as of yet, with the two clubs still apart on valuations.

He suggests that there is a gap of £8-10m, with Burnley pushing for north of £30m. However, with the player clearly wanting the move and the newly promoted side pushing the boundaries to extract the maximum fee possible for the 22-year-old, it’s hoped a compromise will be reached soon.

However, with Newcastle still needing a striker and centre-back to go with imminent arrival Anthony Elanga, Toon chiefs could soon call Burnley’s bluff, pursue other targets and revisit a deal for Trafford later in the window, knowing player is eager to sign.