Norwich City willing to spend up to £15m for English international: Shrewd move by Farke?

Norwich City have made a decent start to their top-flight campaign this season, but Daniel Farke is still looking to add a few players to his squad to make sure that his side can avoid dropping back to the Championship anytime soon.

This has seen them being linked with a few exciting names recently and Stoke City star Jack Butland is the latest player The Canaries are interested in, claim reports from The Sun.

The story claims that Norwich are ready to pay close to £12-£15m for his services in January after Stoke wanted up to £25m for him in the summer. So is Butland a necessary investment for the club?

Butland And His Struggles:

Having started his senior career with Birmingham City, Butland moved to Stoke in 2013 and just a couple of seasons later, cemented his place in the first team.

He made 45 appearances for The Potters last season, putting in some match-winning performances but the 26-year old has recently lost his place in the starting XI, after a forgettable outing against Preston last week.

Butland was on the bench for Stoke’s 3-0 loss to Leeds at the weekend and could even be up for sale in the winter transfer window.

Known for his reflexes and his range of passing, Butland is a dominating presence in his box and is hardly beaten in the air. He is an excellent shot-stopper and is also adept at setting his team off on the counter.

He is a bit suspect when put under constant pressure but playing behind a settled backline, he is more than capable of winning games for his side.

In theory, he is behind Jordan Pickford as the preferred choice for Gareth Southgate and the English national side but losing his place at Stoke City will not help his progress.

So, he could be tempted to move back to the Premier League in January.

Do Norwich City need him?

Tim Krul started every Championship game for the club last season. Farke has stuck with the former Newcastle United man even in the topflight but Butland will challenge him for a place in the first team.

Ralph Fahrmann was brought in on loan from Schalke, but the apparent interest in Butland shows that Farke is not too impressed by the German star.

Signing Butland will probably push Krul into a backup role if there is any slip up by the former Newcastle man. At 26, Butland can be the no.1 for Norwich City for years to come and the experience of Krul on the bench will also be critical for them in the long run.

At £15m, the Stoke City man is a worthy investment for the club, who are aiming to cement their place in the English top flight.