Trafford's Villa Preference Signals Summer Departure from Man City

James Trafford appears ready to engineer an exit from Manchester City, with reports suggesting the goalkeeper has plumped for Aston Villa should he depart this summer.

The 24-year-old arrived at the Etihad in July for £27m from Burnley, who had just secured promotion to the Premier League. Yet his maiden campaign has proven a sobering experience – just 11 appearances across all competitions, with a mere three Premier League outings to his name.

The culprit? Gianluigi Donnarumma's shock summer switch to the club has left Trafford warming the bench. Speaking to the media this week, the England youth international admitted the Italian's arrival caught him off guard. "I didn't expect the situation to happen, but it happened, so just get on with it," he reflected. "It's happened so I work very hard every day and see what happens, give it my best shot."

Trafford has now made his preference clear. Football Insider reports the keeper is "prioritising a move to Aston Villa over Newcastle United this summer," with both Premier League clubs circling. His representatives have indicated a preference for Villa, where Unai Emery's side are likely to offer Champions League football – a significant pull for a player desperate to reclaim his career momentum.

Pep Guardiola never promised first-team football, Trafford conceded, though the plan clearly went awry. "No, it wasn't that, but it [the plan] wasn't what happened," he said. "It is what it is. It's football, it is what it is, you've got to keep grafting every day and the games that come, play as hard as you can."

The goalkeeper refused to definitively rule out staying put, despite penning a five-year contract last year. "I've obviously got a contract, so don't know what happens next season. I just know that I'll just take it a day at a time and try and improve," he added.

With England boss Thomas Tuchel watching closely ahead of the World Cup, Trafford knows his path to international recognition runs through regular football. "I haven't spoken to them if that's enough, but I play as well as I can and train every day very hard and it's just down to me," he stated. "Obviously everyone knows what's going on with me, so I've just got to, whenever I play, play as well as I can."