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According to Gregg Evans of Birmingham Live, Aston Villa are set to break their transfer record by testing Stoke City with an initial bid for England international goalkeeper Jack Butland.
Aston Villa are in for Jack Butland. Stoke want big money but #avfc will test their resolve. Expecting a bid this week.
— Gregg Evans (@greggevans40) June 10, 2019
It’s expected that any bid for Butland would be close to £20 million, smashing the £18 million barrier established by Villa’s previous record signing - Darren Bent (also an England international at the time of his transfer from Sunderland to the Villa). Reports state that Stoke are requesting a fee of over £23 million before they even consider letting their star man leave the club.
Butland, Stoke City’s player of the year during the past season would represent an upgrade for Aston Villa in-between the posts, despite the impressive performances of Jed Steer last season. As connected as we all feel towards Jed and the way he fought back into the Villa team after years on the fringes, there is no denying the quality of Jack Butland.
It’s an exciting piece of news, for sure - and a bit of a shock. While Butland was one of the first names to come to mind when news dropped about Villa’s search for a new goalkeeper, was it truly realistic that they’d invest so much cash in a fairly ‘strong’ position at the club?
This transfer window man. Wow. It’s very engaging to be linked to so many quality additions. The future of this club seems to be in very good hands - and even more so if Villa can convince Jack Butland to join the side.