Newcastle United £20m target has already told Eddie Howe 'really important' role he can play

Newcastle United would be getting a goalkeeper who studies the game's greats and who looks to help his outfield team-mates should they clinch the signature of Burnley's James Trafford.

The Magpies are reportedly closing in on a move for the England shot-stopper, although they are yet to meet Burnley's valuation. The 21-year-old lost his place at Turf Moor last season, but is attracting plenty of interest this summer thanks to some impressive performances for both club and England Under-21s.

Former Burnley boss Vincent Kompany is said to be keen to take him to Bayern Munich with him, while Newcastle are looking to make him their first big signing of the summer, with the youngster able to offer first-team competition to current No 1 Nick Pope.

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The role of a goalkeeper has changed in recent years, something which Trafford is a keen student of. Not only has he tried to emulate the very best on the pitch, but he revealed last season what he feels he can offer a side - something which Eddie Howe and Co will no doubt be fully aware of already.

"The mental side is really, really important," Trafford explained. "It’s not a determining factor but it’s a big factor in how you play and whether you’re full of confidence. As a goalkeeper, it’s not something that you want people to feel sorry for you with. If you had job requirements, it would be on that. You have to be strong mentally and if you’re not, you’re probably not a good goalkeeper.

"Every goalkeeper, whether you’re starting out at 16 or whether you’re me or someone like Manuel Neuer, you’re probably having challenges with the mental side of your game every day because it’s such a difficult thing and it’s so tough. You shouldn’t really for sorry for them because it’s part of the job, it’s what you have to do to play in net.

"I think there will be a lot of goalkeepers that do help outfield players in that mental aspect by going off past experience and being a leader. You see goalkeepers helping outfield players like Emi Martinez when the team gets a free kick, he lines up the wall so the other keeper can’t stop it because he knows what the other goalie doesn’t want which is them in that exact position.

"I’ve heard about goalkeepers helping out the penalty taker. I think the importance of a goalkeeper off the pitch psychologically is always developing."

World Cup-winning goalkeeper Martinez is just one of the top stars Trafford has watched closely in recent years, with Manchester City star Ederson also a key man in his development.

"When I was younger and even it might be the same cases now where nobody really wanted to be a goalie," he told TNT Sports. "You got thrown in net if you weren’t very good outfield or if you were the youngest and that was the case with me.

"I had two older cousins, sister and I always got thrown in net because I was the youngest. As I’ve gone on, you saw with Neuer with the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, he was really good at being a sweeper keeper and being him.

"And when Ederson came into Man City, he completely transformed the team from the season before with how he is on the ball and how he defends space. Even now with Emi Martinez, he’s shown a massive personality in penalty shootouts and Mary Earps in the women’s game, she’s doing incredible with winning the Sports Personality of the Year award.

"I feel like there’s a lot more people growing up wanting to be goalkeepers because these people that are in the spotlight like Mary Earps, Ederson, Martinez are really inspiring a lot of people to want to be a goalkeeper.

"I watch a lot of goalies at a lot of different levels and I have done since I really enjoyed goalkeeping. From Jim Atkinson who plays in non-league at my local club who’s incredible with the ball and even Joe Dickson last year who I was with at Bolton, I learned a lot from him.

"I’ll watch a lot of clips on my own and with Jelle and we watch a lot of Onana, Alisson, Mike Maignan, Jason Steele - they’re the main ones we try and learn off because they all have individual things unique to them that I really like and I want to put my own personal touch on it and improve off them. Also, Courtois when he plays, Ter Stegen and Neuer so yeah, there’s a lot of goalies I really enjoy watching."