ASTON VILLA are considering a move for Jack Butland after losing Tom Heaton for the rest of the season through injury.
Villa’s hopes of avoiding relegation have suffered a major blow this week after scans showed England keeper Heaton had suffered cruciate ligament damage during the win at Burnley on New Year’s Day.
Dean Smith’s side secured a valuable 2-1 win at Turf Moor – but the three points have come at a cost with the loss of Heaton and striker Wesley for the remainder of the campaign.
Wesley also tore his knee ligaments in the match and the Brazilian striker will not play again until next season.
The loss of Heaton is a huge problem for Smith, leaving him without an experienced number one for what will be a nervy second half of the season.
Now Villa have been forced to look around for potential options, with Stoke star Butland a name high on their list.
The 26-year-old is desperate to revive his flagging career by returning to the Premier League but Stoke show no sign they will give him that if he stays at the club.
He has been priced out of moves to other sides in the past, but with the club facing a third season out of the top flight the time could be right to move on.
Butland still has hopes of returning to the England squad but knows he is only likely to be able to do that if he is playing in the Premier League.
The problem will be that Stoke will still demand a decent fee in excess of 10m – knowing Butland’s contract only has another season to run.
And Villa’s tough financial situation means they are not in a strong position to invest heavily in January as they risk flouting financial fair play regulations.
One option would be to offer Stoke a deal which sees him move to Villa Park on loan for the remainder of the season with an obligation to buy in the summer if they escape relegation.
Burnley’s back-up keeper Joe Hart is another option, but the Clarets would then be left short in between the posts themselves.
