West Ham United have been linked with Jack Butland.
According to The Telegraph, Stoke City may offload goalkeeper Jack Butland in January as they look to balance the books and flog some big earners.
It’s suggested that new boss Michael O’Neill wants to get shut of some players, and whilst fringe options are the priority, some big earners could go too.
Butland and midfielder Joe Allen are suggested as the main candidates who could go, as long as Stoke receive a decent price for two of their biggest names.
Stoke could be in Financial Fair Play trouble soon, so flogging Butland would at least help balance the books, and they have two stoppers behind him in Adam Federici and Adam Davies.
That could be of interest to a number of Premier League clubs, with Butland still highly regarded despite enduring a disappointing season so far.
90Min recently claimed that West Ham are keen on Butland, but may have turned their attention to a cheaper option in Middlesbrough’s Darren Randolph.
Butland, 26, currently has no chance of getting into the England squad for EURO 2020, and may need a Premier League move in January to even put himself in contention.
West Ham doesn’t make great sense though, as Butland would surely only be backup for Lukasz Fabianski, and his price tag would be difficult to stomach for that role, meaning it’s no surprise to see them plan a move for Randolph instead of Butland, even with his alleged availability.
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