Rangers have named their price for Jack Butland as Birmingham City and Wayne Rooney reportedly hover over the in-form goalkeeper.
According to reputable transfer journalist Pete O’Rourke – writing in Football Insider – the Ibrox side will demand at least £5m should the Championship side come knocking in January.
What’s more the journalist believes the Ibrox club’s valuation of the goalkeeper will rise if the form of Jack Butland continues in a warning to Birmingham City.
The report also claims that as things stand, no EFL club will be able to strike the sort of package which could convince Rangers to sell the former England international.
It comes amid earlier reports that Birmingham City hold a genuine interest in signing Jack Butland after appointing former England teammate Wayne Rooney as manager.
It’s worth noting that reports later followed suggesting Rangers have no intention of selling Jack Butland this season.
Birmingham City must cough up to land Rangers’ Jack Butland
Rangers signed Jack Butland on a pre-contract in the summer after his deal with Crystal Palace expired and a loan stint at Manchester United came to an end.
As the weeks have progressed – and even with Jack Butland’s high wages – the move looks to be an absolute bargain with Rangers tying the 30-year-old stopper down on a four-year contract.
Rangers convinced the goalkeeper to come to Ibrox to replace the legendary Allan McGregor and with Jack Butland serving his time as a back-up goalkeeper down south the lure of the number one jersey at Ibrox proved too strong.
The biggest compliment that can be paid to Jack Butland is that the transition from Allan McGregor has been seamless and that Rangers have substantially improved a problem position.
Even in the early part of the season, when Michael Beale’s summer signings were struggling to adapt to life at Rangers, Jack Butland looked a standout acquisition.
There have been claims in the past – via Chris Jack and the Rangers Review – that Rangers do expect to bank a healthy profit off the goalkeeper at some point in his contract with the club currently in a strong position with regards the player.
Given the ambitions of Jack Butland those links to Birmingham City do seem like a step backwards and something tells us Rangers might have to fear interest from clubs operating a division higher than the Blues if the stopper’s form continues.
Jack Butland has made 17 appearances since joining Rangers in the summer with the goalkeeper’s eight clean sheets failing to tell the full story of an impressive start to life in Glasgow.
