Birmingham City would prefer a loan deal for Crystal Palace shot-stopper Jack Butland at this stage as opposed to a longer-term agreement, according to an update from Birmingham Live.

The 29-year-old has been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park this summer with his starting opportunities in the capital being limited, making just 15 appearances in all competitions for Patrick Vieira's side during the 2021/22 campaign.

AFC Bournemouth and Rangers are two sides thought to be weighing up a move for the nine-cap England international at this stage, with the former in desperate need of a new addition in this department following Freddie Woodman's return to Newcastle United.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, Birmingham have also entered the race to recruit him following the news that Connal Trueman will be released on the expiration of his contract at St Andrew's, with Matija Sarkic leaving a particularly large void in their goalkeeping area after returning to Wolverhampton Wanderers in January.

Palace are now believed to be closing in on West Bromwich Albion's Sam Johnstone which may open up a path for Butland to depart his current side, potentially putting Lee Bowyer's side on high alert.

And in a further update, it's believed they would rather opt for a temporary agreement at this stage for the 29-year-old's services, no real surprise considering their limited spending in recent windows.

The Verdict:

Considering his pedigree, the West Midlands outfit probably wouldn't be able to afford him permanently even with the Englishman likely to become surplus to requirements at Selhurst Park.

The second-tier side have also not been afraid to utilise the loan market heavily in recent seasons, though it could be argued that they should be saving their seven loan spots for players in other positions considering the fact there are likely to be alternative options in the free-agent market.

Orjan Nyland, who has a decent amount of experience under his belt, is one of those and could potentially push Neil Etheridge for his starting spot as a reasonably accomplished player at this level despite recent mistakes at Reading.

And though recruiting Butland may help them to improve their defensive record to an extent, their centre-back area needs to be focused on following departures in this area with specialist wing-backs also a requirement.

Butland won't be able to vastly improve their defence on his own, so more additions will be needed if Bowyer's side want to have a much more successful campaign next term.