Aston Villa are reportedly still interested in signing Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland and are hoping they may be able to get him a reduced fee.

According to the Mirror, the Potters want £23 million for the 26-year-old but Villa are hoping for a reduced price having seen it drop down from £27 million already this summer.

The Birmingham club are understood to be facing competition from fellow Premier League side Bournemouth for Butland.

The England international stayed with Stoke last season despite their relegation from the top-flight but is expected to leave the Bet365 Stadium this summer.

Potters boss Nathan Jones will likely be looking to have a busy window in his first summer in charge of the club.

The 46-year-old took over at the club in January and steered the side to a disappointing 16th-place finish in their first season back in the Championship.

It seems likely he look to use this transfer window to shape the squad to fit his style and the exit of Butland could help provide him with the finances to do that.

Verdict

Butland is a class act and a proven Premier League goalkeeper, having made 77 appearances in the top tier of English football, so if Villa can get their hands on him for less than £20 million that will be a great bit of business.

It was always unlikely he would stay in the Championship if the Potters failed to achieve promotion last season, and it is right that his loyalty is being rewarded and he is being allowed to leave the club.

His exit should provide Jones with some money to inject back into the squad as he prepares for a season in which he must surely be targeting playoff contention.

There is real quality in the Stoke squad but they will still have to be shrewd over the summer if they are to close the gap between them and the playoffs, which was 19 points last season.