Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland has denied the claims that he has asked the Potters to sanction a sale over the summer transfer window amidst rumours of a potential interest from Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, Antonio Conte’s Chelsea and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.
The 24-year-old stopper is currently aiming to become England’s No.1 at the World Cup in Russia later this year and if he manages to impress the spectators, a bid from the aforementioned clubs could well and truly be on the cards. A report from The Gambling Times, a couple of days back, quoted that the keeper is all set to leave Stoke City this summer after telling his club’s hierarchy that he wants to leave the club he joined back in 2013 from Birmingham City.
However, getting a deal done won’t be a walk in the park for any of the aforementioned sides, given that his current contract with Stoke runs for another 3 years. Hence, there is no real urgency or fear amongst the Stoke City faithful regarding his exit. Should the Potters agree to do any kind of business, they would demand a fee in excess of £40million, which would make him the world’s most expensive goalkeeper.
Starting with Arsene Wenger, the Frenchman’s interest in Butland is evident given that Petr Cech is not getting any younger and at the age of 35, he does not really have many years ahead of him. Furthermore, as far as Chelsea are concerned, Thibaut Courtois has entered the final 18 months of his current contract and although Chelsea are eager to hand him a new deal, no talks about the same have progressed till date.
Finally, as things stand for Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp’s desire to sign a new goalkeeper was made evident when Liverpool had a bid rejected for Alisson of AS Roma. The deal, however, didn’t go through, but the Reds are expected to monitor new stoppers over the upcoming transfer market and Butland could well top their list.
Before this spreads any further, i haven’t told the club i want to leave, i’m focused on doing everything i can to keep the club in this division! stop believing everything you read! https://t.co/2VN8N8OCFa
— Jack Butland (@JackButland_One) February 13, 2018
Their pursuit, however, has been dealt a major blow as the player himself has brushed all the exit rumours away, claiming that he hasn’t told Stoke that he wants to leave. The 24-year-old took to Twitter to deny rumours and said,
“Before this spreads any further, I haven’t told the club I want to leave, I’m focused on doing everything I can to keep the club in this division!” Butland posted.
Stoke currently sit 19th on the Premier League log and have only won one of their last 9 matches in all competitions. Things look gloomy for the Potters right at this very moment and if they fail to get themselves up by the end of the season, Butland might really think of making a move.
