Report: Hammers make tentative enquiry for keeper
Chelsea and Wolves have also made enquiries claims the paper. Stoke will reluctantly listen to offers for the 25-year old Butland but want a British record fee – outstripping the £30million Everton agreed to pay Sunderland for Jordan Pickford.
Both West Ham and Wolves are said to be also monitoring developments with Rui Patricio from Sporting Lisbon.
Rui Patricio has officially requested that his contract with Sporting Lisbon be terminated. The 30-year-old goalkeeper, on his way to the World Cup with Portugal this month, has been at the centre of a saga that has rumbled on for the most part of the close season.
Wolves were said to have matched the bid of €18m that Serie A outfit Napoli offered Sporting for Patricio’s services, but a change in management at the Italian club which saw Carlo Ancelotti appointed in the place of Maurizio Sarri led to Napoli cooling their interest.
Sporting club president Bruno de Carvalho claimed in his press conference that super agent Jorge Mendes had ‘blackmailed’ the club and tried to manipulate negotiations. “Jorge Mendes wanted to take advantage of the situation, which is a crime,” and added: “Sporting cannot be under fear, under blackmail or under threat.” Mendes’ agency Gestifute denied those claims and insisted that Sporting needed to pay up what they owed.