His situation at Manchester City has undeniably become more complicated since the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the club had always anticipated this would be the case.
Donnarumma nudged Trafford down the pecking order and that has opened the door to transfer talk, with links to clubs including Newcastle and Tottenham.
However, the strength of those connections varies - and Newcastle’s interest appears minimal.
Sources maintain that the chances of Trafford ending up at St James’ Park are extremely slim, with the club not actively searching for a new goalkeeper.
Tottenham, on the other hand, offers a more credible scenario.
Spurs are reviewing their options in goal, and with uncertainty growing around Guglielmo Vicario’s future amid interest from Inter Milan, Trafford is seen as someone who could come into consideration should he depart.
Even so, there is no clear indication that City are ready to sanction his exit - or that Spurs are actually considering him yet.
Those inside the Manchester club emphasise that Trafford remains an important squad figure, and with City well positioned for another title push, they have not been preparing to replace him.
A substantial offer would need to arrive for the situation to shift, and City are believed to be reluctant to approve a Premier League loan at this stage.
For Trafford, the lack of minutes is far from ideal, but his role was always expected to come with heavy competition.
City made no promises when he joined about regular first-team football.
Interesting, any other landing spots are also looking hard to come by. Chelsea have previously held some interest and are keeping their options open on the goalkeeping front, but are not actively pursuing him, while Aston Villa have considered him as a potential contingency should Emi Martinez move on.
The feeling is that Trafford’s future hinges on whether City feel a departure makes sense for them. For now, that remains firmly undecided - and the goalkeeper must wait to discover what happens next.
