There is no denying that Liverpool have improved substantially under the tutelage of Jurgen Klopp. The Reds have looked really hungry in their pursuit of finishing inside the top-four spots in the Premier League this season. Besides, they have also managed to pave their way into the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2009 by hammering FC Porto in the Round of Sixteen clash.
They are going in the right direction but their goalkeeping position is one of the areas they need to address in the summer in order to make further progress in the upcoming seasons. Liverpool have Simon Mignolet, Loris Karius, Adam Bogdan and Danny Ward in their books to cater to their goalkeeping needs. However, none of them has been reliable on a consistent basis. Of late, Karius is getting the nod to start as Mignolet cannot be completely trusted with.
Reportedly, Mignolet is getting frustrated owing to the lack of game time under Klopp’s regime and the likes of Napoli and Borussia Dortmund are keeping close tabs on the Belgian shot-stopper. Considering such a scenario, Liverpool would need to replace Mignolet and they must try to bring an upgrade over Karius in the process. If one of the latest reports by Metro is to be believed, they are closing in on a £40million deal to prise Jack Butland out of bet365 Stadium in the summer.
Apart from Liverpool, their fellow Premier League outfit, Arsenal, are also in hot pursuit of making him sign on the dotted line in the summer. Thus, it goes without saying that there would be a tug-of-war between these two English heavyweights to sign Butland. The Stoke City shot-stopper has been one of the silver linings in what has been a torrid season for the Potters. He has made stupendous saves, commanded the backline meticulously and his positional awareness has been exemplary this season.
Butland has notched up 5 clean sheets from 26 league appearances, making 3.12 saves per game on an average. Moreover, he has accumulated plenty of experiences under his belt and is accustomed to English football. Liverpool have been on the look-out for a world-class custodian for quite some time now and their apparent interest to sign Butland makes complete sense. The English international is unarguably one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and he could be England’s no.1 at this summer’s World Cup to be held in Russia.
