Leeds United have broken their club transfer record by signing goalkeeper James Trafford from Manchester City for an initial fee of £40 million plus add-ons, according to Sky Sports News.

The 23-year-old has agreed a five-year contract at Elland Road, and the deal is understood to represent a record outlay for an English goalkeeper. It surpasses Leeds' previous record transfer, the £35.5 million signing of Georginio Rutter from Hoffenheim in January 2023.

Filling the gap between the sticks

Replacing a reliable first-choice goalkeeper had become a pressing concern for Leeds heading into this window. Karl Darlow departed the club, while Lucas Perri struggled to convince during his debut campaign — Daniel Farke dropped him at points throughout last season.

Trafford had been identified as Leeds' primary goalkeeping target since the summer began. The England international made 17 appearances for Manchester City last term and kept eight clean sheets, and Leeds believe he can bring consistency to what has been a troublesome position for some time.

With Trafford now signed, Perri is expected to depart on loan to Torino, with an option for the Italian club to make the move permanent. Alex Cairns remains as the only other senior goalkeeper on the books.

A busy window at Elland Road

Trafford's arrival takes Leeds' total spending in this transfer window to over £70 million. The club have also brought in Harry Wilson on a free transfer from Fulham and Tarik Muharemovic from Sassuolo for £34 million.

On the outbound side, Pascal Struijk joined Brighton for £18 million, Darlow moved to Manchester United on a free, and Illan Meslier departed for Arsenal at no cost. Harry Gray has gone to Sheffield Wednesday on loan, while Isaac Schmidt and Jack Harrison have left for undisclosed and undisclosed fees to Young Boys and New England Revolution, respectively.