Butland hit with £30 m transfer tag
JACK BUTLAND’S desire to find a top-flight club next season has taken another blow by Stoke’s demand for about £30million for the England goalkeeper.
The relegated Potters are looking for such a big fee because Butland’s former club Birmingham are set to pocket 20 per cent of any profit.
Birmingham negotiated the sell-on clause when they sold him to the Potters for £3.5m in January 2013.
Stoke value Butland at between £25m and £30m – the same fee Everton paid for his England rival Jordan Pickford when he moved from Sunderland last summer – which means Birmingham could make more than £5m from any sale.
Butland’s challenge is stiff enough already with most of the Premier League’s top six already settled on their No1 for next season.
Liverpool are in the market for a new goalkeeper and have been linked strongly with a move for 25-year-old Butland.
But they are also keen on £75m-valued Roma star Alisson, above, and a successful move for Brazil’s first-choice keeper could close another door on Butland. Newly-promoted Wolves have also kept tabs on the Bristolian but there are doubts over whether they could fork out £30m on a goalkeeper and stay within Financial Fair Play regulations.
If Butland does complete a move away from Stoke, Birmingham could net about £5m to help boss Garry Monk.
The Blues are expected to rein in spending this summer after splashing out on 13 new signings a year ago under Harry Redknapp. So cash from a Butland deal would be an unexpected boost for Monk, who is keen to avoid another battle against relegation next season. Stoke are also likely to lose Switzerland star Xherdan Shaqiri, who is eyeing a move abroad, while Wales midfielder Joe Allen is also likely to attract interest.
Butland has said he will put any thoughts of a move on hold until after the World Cup, where he will vie with Pickford to be Gareth Southgate’s No1.
“I don’t have anything in the pipeline,” he said. “The most important thing is being part of a successful England squad.”