Stoke City to Hand Sizeable Pay Rise to Star Man in Bid to Stave Off Interest From Across PL
Stoke City are reportedly prepared to offer shot stopper Jack Butland a sizeable increase on his pay packet to stave off interest from Chelsea and other clubs across the Premier League.
The England international has been on the receiving end of a number of reports linking him to a host of top flight clubs throughout the summer following the Potters' relegation to the Championship, despite Stoke remaining desperate to hang on to the 25-year-old.
Mike Hewitt/GettyImages
According to the Stoke Sentinel, Butland has been offered a £20,000-per-week increase on his existing wage of £60,000-per-week in a bid to convince him to remain with the club beyond the summer.
Butland is currently with England at the World Cup but that has not prevented his name being thrown around as goalkeepers have emerged as a top priority for a number of clubs, with Chelsea keeping an eye on his situation following reports that Thibaut Courtois is receiving serious interest from Real Madrid.
And Liverpool have also reportedly looked to the stopper as possible competition for Loris Karius next season.
Stoke manager Gary Rowett, however, is eager to keep hold of Butland in order to boost the club's chances of returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
However, the club are understood to value Butland at £30m should they decide to sell as his former club Birmingham City are set to reap 25% of any fee.
The 25-year-old remains contracted with Stoke until 2021 but his representatives are reportedly set to meet with the club over the coming days to come to an agreement over his future.
Stoke meanwhile have continued to look to bolster their squad elsewhere but have had their
