Man City are ignoring £40million transfer solution that could solve next problem position

Age might not be quite as important for goalkeepers, but Manchester City clearly need to plan ahead in that department, with three first-team squad members all in their 30s.

Ederson will turn 32 next month, Stefan Ortega will be 33 in November, and third-choice Marcus Bettinelli turned 33 in May. It’s a goalkeeping group with plenty of experience but little in the way of a long-term future.

Ederson came close to leaving last summer, and while he looks certain to stay for next season, his form has been questionable, and a departure in 2026 can’t be ruled out.

Ortega has considered leaving to be a No. 1 elsewhere. He played plenty of games last season as Ederson struggled with fitness, but he doesn’t look set to really challenge the Brazilian.

Bettinelli is a different proposition, having replaced 39-year-old Scott Carson, and City aren’t alone in wanting an experienced hand to fill that third-choice goalkeeper role.

It’s ahead of them where the question marks lie, and having significantly refreshed this squad over the last couple of years, giving it a much younger age profile, it looks obvious that changes will be needed in goal over the next year or two.

City could conceivably be in a position next summer where both Ederson and Ortega leave and they are looking for two new goalkeepers in the same window. That would present its challenges.

Instead, maybe they are missing a trick this summer. James Trafford is a former City academy graduate who enjoyed an outstanding campaign in the Championship with Burnley. He is set to break into the England squad on a regular basis and looks likely to move to Newcastle this summer.

City's buy-back clause on Trafford is around £40million, although the fee could be lower than that