WITH Lloyd Kelly’s arrival on the brink of being confirmed after the defender had a medical in London earlier today, Newcastle United will switch their transfer focus to trying to finalise a deal for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford before the end of the month.

Kelly agreed personal terms with the Magpies earlier this week, having turned down offers of a new deal with Bournemouth.

The defender will sign a five-year deal on Tyneside to become Newcastle’s second summer signing – Lewis Hall’s temporary transfer from Chelsea has already been turned into a permanent deal - with the transfer window officially reopening on Friday.

While there was disappointment at missing out on Tosin Adarabioyo, who rejected the chance to join the Magpies in order to move to Chelsea instead, Newcastle’s recruitment team are delighted with the capture of Kelly as a free agent.

The 25-year-old, who can play at either centre-half or left-back, previously worked under Eddie Howe at the Vitality Stadium and will provide a much-needed defensive option in the absence of Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles, who are both expected to miss the early stages of next season with cruciate-ligament injuries.

With Kelly’s arrival signed and sealed, Newcastle officials will attempt to reach an agreement for Trafford, who is now firmly established as their number one goalkeeping target.

While the Magpies held talks with Valencia over Giorgi Mamardashvili, it quickly became clear that the Georgia international was going to be out of their price range. Similarly, while Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale has been a long-term target, dealing with the Gunners over the England squad member was always going to be difficult.

As a result, Newcastle have focused their efforts on Trafford, who was one of the players to be cut from Gareth Southgate’s final England squad for the Euros last week.

An initial round of talks with Burnley were deemed to be productive, and while Newcastle’s negotiators are reluctant to meet the Clarets’ current asking price of more than £20m, there is confidence an agreement can be reached below that figure.

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Burnley reportedly agreed a deal worth £19m to sign Trafford from Manchester City last summer, but while they are understandably keen to recoup their money, their relegation to the Championship means they are not negotiating from a position of strength.

Trafford is understood to be keen to move to Tyneside, and if a deal is completed, he will be given the chance to compete with Nick Pope for a starting spot during pre-season.

Pope and Trafford would be joined by third-choice keeper, Mark Gillespie, making Martin Dubravka surplus to requirements. Celtic are interested in the 35-year-old, who is currently preparing to represent Slovakia at the Euros.