Chelsea are ready to thrash £25 million for Jack Butland after Thibaut Courtois failed to show up for crunch talks with Maurizio Sarri regarding his future.
According to Daily Star, Chelsea are prepared to make a move for Jack Butland after Thibaut Courtois failed to show up for training yesterday. The Stoke City star has been identified as the perfect replacement for the Belgian with the Blues set to splash £25 million for his services this summer.
Courtois on the other hand, is keen to snuggle a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer following an impressive World Cup that saw him win the prestigious Golden Glove award. Although the former Atletico star was due to hold crunch talks with Maurizio Sarri regarding his future on Monday, he failed to show up on time, intensifying speculation regarding his potential move to Real Madrid.
The European champions are also confident they can secure his signature before the transfer windows slams shut this week. As a result, Chelsea have been left with little option but to quickly sign an alternative for the time being before Thursday’s cut-off point.
Although Everton number one Jordan Pickford was identified as their desired replacement for Courtois, the Merseyside giants have remained firm in their stance of keeping hold of their star player beyond this summer.
For that reason, the Blues have been obliged to seek an alternative in the shape of Butland. The Stoke City star, who has been largely overshadowed due to the incredible performances of Pickford last season, is regarded as one of England’s best keepers at the moment.
In fact, he was also included in the England squad that surprised everyone to reach the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup though he failed to feature in a single game. Having said that, he has been an ever-present figure for Stoke City for the past few years, barring from the 2016/17 season when he was ruled out for the entire campaign due to an ankle injury.
Stoke City, on the other hand, are not likely to hold any leverage over Butland’s price-tag following their relegation last season. However, it is believed that the Potters will want a deal to be sorted out as soon as possible so that they can have time to buy a replacement themselves.
But one thing is for sure, £25 million is barely a snip in today’s market, especially for a club like Chelsea and thus, the addition of Jack Butland will definitely be a bargain for the Blues. Although it remains to be seen how he manages to recover his form after conceding over 60 goals last season.
Nevertheless, looks like Chelsea are desperate to add a keeper and it could mean a return to the top flight for Jack Butland.
