West Ham United are the exploring the option of signing Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland on loan, according to club insider ExWHUEmployee.
The 26-year-old faces an uncertain future at the bet365 Stadium after enduring a hugely frustrating campaign thus far.
The England international was linked with moves to Aston Villa and AFC Bournemouth in the summer, but he has made only 10 appearances so far this season.
Under Nathan Jones, Butland made a host of glaring errors, particularly against Preston North End, and he subsequently lost his place in the side to Adam Federici.
He started Michael O'Neill's first game in charge against Barnsley at Oakwell, but his future at Stoke is likely to be a talking point throughout the duration of the January transfer window.
It seems as if West Ham could be interested in signing Butland, though, with club insider ExWHUEmployee claiming that the Hammers are weighing up a move to sign him on loan with the view to a permanent deal.
Speaking on the West Ham Way Podcast on Wednesday night, he said: "We are apparently looking to sign another keeper, possibly because we’ve realised how dire the situation is. There is talk of trying to get Jack Butland from Stoke.
"Potentially sign him on loan with a view to a permanent deal, obviously if you are going to get him on loan they would have to pay a large fee."
In the absence of Lukasz Fabianski, Roberto has struggled massively, making a host of errors for Manuel Pellegrini's side, so a new goalkeeper could well be on the Hammers' radar in January.
Stoke face Wigan Athletic this weekend - the Potters sit 23rd in the Sky Bet Championship table after beating Barnsley 4-2.
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The Verdict
It's hard to tell whether Butland will still be a Stoke player by the time the January transfer window closes.
Throughout the summer, it looked like he was destined to leave the club, but he stayed and looked like he was going to be a key player under Jones.
It looks as if he is in O'Neill's plans, though, having been selected for his first game in charge at Oakwell.