Jack Butland is currently on loan at Man Utd from Crystal Palace (Photo: Getty)
Crystal Palace star Jack Butland, currently on loan at Manchester United, is in talks to sign for Rangers on a free, according to reports.
Butland make a shock move to United in January to serve as cover for David de Gea after Newcastle recalled Martin Dubravka from his loan spell at Old Trafford.
The goalkeeper is yet to make an appearance for the club however and, barring a huge surprise, will yet again be on the bench for the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Even so, there was always a chance the 30-year-old could sign for the Red Devils in the summer when his Palace deal expires, especially given that both De Gea and Tom Heaton are also out of contract.
However, that scenario will not be playing out as the Daily Mail report that Butland is close to agreeing terms with Rangers as he looks to restart his career in Scotland.
Once one of England’s top keepers, with nine caps to his name, Butland’s stock fell dramatically after suffering relegation from the Premier League with Stoke in 2018.
He joined Palace in 2020 but could not quite dislodge Vicente Guaita as the Eagles’ No.1, though he did play every minute of their run to the FA Cup semi-finals last season.
Man Utd are close to extending David De Gea’s contract (Photo: Getty)
And he fell to third-choice keeper at the start of the current campaign after suffering a fractured finger in pre-season, with the south London club signing Sam Johnstone to replace him.
As a result, he will have failed to play a single game all season if he does not feature at Wembley this Saturday, but he should be guaranteed plenty of minutes at the Ibrox as Michael Beale’s side look to challenge Celtic again next season.
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United meanwhile are close to extending De Gea’s contract whilst also looking to sign his long-term successor, with Porto’s Diogo Costa and Brentford’s David Raya their top targets.
The 32-year-old endured a mixed season, winning the Premier League Golden Glove with 17 clean sheets but he also made numerous, high-profile mistakes and received much criticism for his distribution.
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He hasn’t played a single minute this season.
