City's No.1 Dream on Hold

James trafford returned to Manchester City last summer with big hopes of becoming the club's first-choice goalkeeper — but those plans have been turned upside down by one of the biggest unexpected transfers of the window.

The 23-year-old English keeper made the £27 million switch back to the Citizens after a standout campaign with Championship side burnley. With ederson heading to fenerbahce, the path to the No.1 jersey looked wide open.

donnarumma changed everything

What trafford did not see coming was the late arrival of Italian international gianluigi donnarumma. The experienced stopper became available at the tail end of the summer window and immediately took the gloves for pep guardiola's side in both the Premier League and Champions League.

Trafford has been limited to cup appearances, though he did earn a winner's medal when City lifted the carabao cup. Despite the silverware, cup outings alone are unlikely to satisfy the ambitious young goalkeeper long-term.

juventus join the race

According to the daily mail, Italian heavyweights juventus are closely monitoring trafford's situation as they hunt for a new No.1 stopper for next season.

Premier League sides aston villa and tottenham hotspur are also reportedly eyeing trafford, while newcastle united had already tried — and failed — to land him last summer.

City are not willing to sell at a loss, having paid £27 million less than a year ago. However, juventus are reportedly working with a budget closer to £17 million, which means a loan arrangement could be the most realistic path forward for all parties.

plenty of competition for juve

Juventus are not putting all their eggs in one basket. The Serie A club have also looked at Liverpool's alisson and former Manchester United keeper david de gea as more experienced alternatives.

Youngsters guillaume restes of toulouse and konstantinos tzolakis of olympiacos are additional options on their radar if a trafford deal fails to materialise.

what's next for trafford?

With donnarumma just 27 years old and showing no signs of losing his spot at the etihad, trafford may realistically need to look elsewhere to unlock regular first-team football and push his career forward.

A move — whether permanent or on loan — looks increasingly likely this summer as the young keeper seeks the game time he needs to fulfil his potential.