There is still a possibility that Jack Butland could leave Stoke City in this transfer window.
This is because the future Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is up in the air and their new manager, Maurizio Sarri, “doesn’t know” if he will stay with them this summer amid strong interest from Real Madrid, according to the Express.
The Premier League giants have been linked with a move for Jack Butland throughout this transfer window and if Courtois is sold by them, Stoke City could brace themselves for a late move for their number one.
Butland’s long-term future has been put in doubt ever since their relegation to the Championship last season. Stoke’s new boss, Gary Rowett, is hopeful of keeping hold of him in this transfer window but if a big money offer came in, it would be hard for the Potters to stand in the way of a move back to the top flight if the price is right.
The 25-year-old shot stopper, who has 8 caps for England and was at the World Cup in Russia this summer, has played for Stoke since 2013 and has played 88 times for them.
Butland started his career at Birmingham City and broke into their first-team in the 2012/13 season after impressing them on loan at Cheltenham Town. Stoke then paid around £3.5 million to lure him to the Premier League. He then had loan stints at Birmingham, Barnsley, Leeds United and Derby County before establishing himself as Stoke’s first choice ‘keeper.
If Courtois does go to Real Madrid, it could be a nervous couple of days for Stoke fans as Chelsea scramble around desperately looking for a new goalkeeper.
