Jack Butland preparing to pen a deal at Rangers and become first Michael Beale summer signing
Jack Butland is preparing to “pen a deal” at Rangers and become Michael Beale’s first signing of the summer, according to Football Scotland.
The Scottish Sun reported on Monday (24 April) that the Gers were on the verge of completing the signing of the Manchester United loanee, who was valued as high as £23million in 2019, but has struggled for game time over the last 18 months.
Current Rangers number one Allan McGregor, 41, is expected to hang up the gloves at the end of the season, which would leave goalkeepers Jon McLaughlin and Robby McCrorie as Beale’s only viable options heading into next season. [Daily Record, 16 February]
“Michael Beale is closing in on his first summer signing with a few months to spare as Jack Butland prepares to pen a deal at Rangers,” Football Scotland wrote.
Great fit
Although Butland has had a worrying lack of football over the last 18 months, there is no doubting his pedigree as a youngster and the game-changing saves he can pull off in between the sticks.
Rangers are certainly right to be in the hunt for a new goalkeeper this summer, even if McGregor decides to carry on at Ibrox into next season, with the club needing to add fresh legs into the squad to bridge the alarmingly big gap to league-leaders Celtic.
At 30 years old, Butland has a wealth of experience under his belt and is unlikely to be fazed by the cauldron-like atmosphere of an Old Firm derby.
As long as the Crystal Palace goalkeeper doesn’t demand overly-expensive wages, it is a move that makes sense to all parties.
Rangers are in desperate need of a new number one, while Roy Hodgson’s side already have Vicente Guaita and Sam Johnstone as first-team options, so allowing Butland to leave for Ibrox would alleviate any wage issues.
In other Rangers news, the door is now creaking open for new investment at Ibrox after developments this month