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What's the rumour?
Chelsea have had a quite subdued transfer window following the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as head coach, with midfielder Jorginho and veteran goalkeeper Rob Green being their only two signings so far. Now, with their star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois reportedly set to leave Stamford Bridge, they have stepped up the search for a replacement and if a report from Sky Sports is to be believed, Stoke City's Jack Butland is their number one priority.
In case you didn't know..
Chelsea were previously believed to be interested in Jack Butland but the interest didn’t translate into a possible deal as the future of Courtois was unclear. However, following the Belgian international's no-show at Chelsea’s Cobham training base on Monday, fresh reports have now emerged saying that the Belgian is adamant on forcing a move to Madrid.
As such, the West London outfit have now zeroed in on the Stoke City no1 as a potential target.
The heart of the matter
Jack Butland had an impressive season in the Premier League last term, notwithstanding Stoke City’s relegation to the Championship. He was expected to be sold to a Premier League side in the aftermath of the World Cup but nothing of that sort happened and he featured in Stoke’s first game against Leeds in the Championship on Sunday.
However, Chelsea, in desperate need of a replacement to Courtois, have now moved to secure his services before the transfer window closes this Thursday.
According to the aforementioned report, the deal, should it happen, would cost the Premier League outfit roughly around £30 million along with the add-ons.
Rumour rating/ Probability: 5/10
With the Premier League transfer window slated to close in just 2 days, there seems to have little time left for the transfer to materialize. However, the Blues would be willing to meet the demands of Stoke City for Butland, provided Courtois leaves. So, this could go either way.
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What's next?
Assuming the deal goes through, the England international would most likely man the sticks for the Blues in their season opener against Huddersfield on Saturday.
