Jack Butland will leave Stoke City when their relegation to the Championship is confirmed, according to the Mail on Sunday.
The England goalkeeper is one of a number of players set to leave the Bet365 Stadium this summer with Joe Allen, 28, and Xherdan Shaqiri, 26, among those leaving.
25-year-old Butland will be in demand and the Potters will be keen to match the £30m fee Everton paid for Jordan Pickford, 24, last summer. With Butland likely to be Gareth Southgate’s first-choice goalkeeper in Russia, it is to Stoke’s advantage.
Arsenal and Liverpool are both looking for new goalkeepers this summer, ensuring Butland will be scrutinised even further between now and the end of the season.
It’s Stoke’s tenth season in the top-flight and despite claiming a point at Anfield, they are hampered by a dozen-game winless streak. With Swansea City meeting Southampton, Stoke’s chances of survival are dim.
The club is in disarray at present with Jese and Kurt Zouma’s loan spells being cut short, while Saido Berahino and Ibrahim Afellay are both training with youth players following disciplinary problems.
Badou Ndiaye, a January signing from Galatasaray, has an escape clause which tri?ggers in the event of relegation, while the report also claims Charlie Adam, Stephen Ireland and Glen Johnson will also be leaving this summer.
Pre-season training for Paul Lambert might be a lonely affair…
