Championship outfit Middlesbrough have entered the race to recruit Crystal Palace shot-stopper Jack Butland, as per yesterday's Patreon report from Alan Nixon.

The 29-year-old hasn't been short of interest in recent weeks with The Sun claiming AFC Bournemouth and Rangers are also in the race to recruit the former England international, two top-tier sides that could provide him with an exit route from Selhurst Park.

With the goalkeeper only making nine Premier League appearances for Patrick Vieira's side last term, an exit may be ideal for the player at this stage and he may be desperate to depart if Sam Johnstone arrives.

The West Bromwich Albion man is believed to be closing in on a move to the English capital and this risks pushing Butland further down the pecking order, though he may potentially be given the chance to leave if Johnstone's move materialises.

Birmingham City are another side thought to be considering a move for him, with second-tier rivals Boro recently joining the race as they look to rebuild their goalkeeping department.

Both Joe Lumley and Luke Daniels failed to do enough to keep their starting spot at the Riverside last term and the former has joined Reading for the 2022/23 campaign, leaving Chris Wilder with work to do in this department going into the new season.

So from their point of view, the potential addition of Butland would be a good one for the Teesside outfit and this would also be a very good move for the player considering the other potential options he may have.

At Birmingham, there's little chance of the ex-Stoke City shot-stopper competing at the right end of the second tier at this stage and that would be quite a downgrade for the keeper who featured in the top flight last term.

A move to Bournemouth may not pay dividends either with Mark Travers potentially keeping him out of the starting lineup at the Vitality Stadium next season, with Freddie Woodman having his game time limited last season because of Scott Parker's preference to start Travers.  The latter has arguably done enough to remain between the sticks, so it may be difficult for Butland to force his way into the first 11.

This makes Rangers and Boro the two preferable options because of this, though he may prefer to remain in England and the latter certainly wouldn't be a bad option considering he would have a good chance of starting every week on Teesside.

Wilder's men are likely to be competing at the top end of the table next term and could easily win promotion back to the top tier, so this may be a good long-term option for the 29-year-old who will be keen to compete at the highest possible level.