Liverpool are lining up a move for Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland next summer. According to recent reports in the English media, the Reds are hoping to make the English keeper their new number 1 at Anfield in the summer. Both Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet has failed to live up to the expectations at Merseyside so far this season and could be replaced by the Potters goalkeeper ahead of the new campaign. It is being reported that both Liverpool and Arsenal are keeping tabs on the Stoke City stopper and it would cost them a fee in the region of £40m to secure his services.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is prepared to make Butland his new number 1 keeper at the Merseyside club for next season. However, the Potters keeper is also gathering interest from the Gunners with their manager Arsene Wenger eager to replace their 35-year-old keeper Petr Cech, who has made some glaring mistakes this term as evidenced by his display at Swansea City recently. The Premier League duo will clash heads at the end of the season in pursuit of the 24-year-old English keeper, who is eager to test himself at the highest level.
Jurgen Klopp has recently benched Simon Mignolet and some sources are claiming that the Belgian is prepared to leave the club after showdown talks with his manager in January. Loris Karius has taken over Mignolet’s duties in goal for the Premier League matches since the turn of the year but there have been major concerns about the German too.
The Reds are currently occupying 4th place in the Premier League table after being denied a victory at the death in their match against Tottenham Hotspur in the last gameweek. The Merseyside club finds themselves just above Chelsea, who are in fifth place with a point separating the two teams at the moment.
However, both clubs have played a game less over their top 4 rivals with Klopp’s team looking forward to their clash versus Southampton at the St. Mary’s Stadium while Chelsea takes on West Bromwich Albion on Monday night. The addition of Butland will undoubtedly bolster Klopp’s goalkeeping options at Anfield if the five-time European champions are successful in their attempts to lure him to Merseyside next summer.
The 24-year-old has proven himself in the Premier League and is currently competing to be England’s number 1 keeper ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia which is set to kick off later this year. The Bristol-born keeper has made 25 appearances for Stoke City this term, conceding 48 goals while keeping 4 clean sheets so far across all competitions. It remains to be seen whether Liverpool can fend off stiff competition from Arsenal in pursuit of his signature in the near future.
