Stoke City’s goalkeeper has been linked with a return to the Premier League, with Newcastle United among the bookies favourites.
Jack Butland might have started between the sticks for England against Switzerland during Tuesday’s friendly clash at Wembley. But he is fully aware that a prolonged stay in the Championship with Stoke City will do little good to his international prospects.
“If I’m in the Championship beyond this season then obviously things start to get a little bit trickier,” the Potters goalkeeper told Sky Sports.
Butland was heavily linked with a number of Premier League clubs after Stoke’s relegation was confirmed in May but he ended up staying at the Bet365 Stadium. Expect the former Birmingham City wonder-kid to be a gossip column regular, however, in the months leading up to January.
In the latest odds provided by Ladbrokes, West Ham United are 6/4 favourites to sign Butland in the New Year with Newcastle in second place at 3/1.
South Coast rivals Southampton and Bournemouth are 5/1 and 6/1 respectively while Fulham (6/1) are also in the running as things stand.
According to the Sun, Stoke were demanding £30 million for Butland at the start of the summer, a fee that could perhaps have priced him out of a move back to the Premier League.
And if the Potters demand a similar fee in January, it will be interesting to see who could be willing to pay up.
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