Liverpool face competition for £35m-rated target, PL new boys enter race

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly entered the race to sign Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland, a rumoured target for Liverpool.

Nuno Esperito Santo has guided the club back to the Premier League after being crowned champions in England’s second tier following a stunning campaign.

SEE MORE: Huge relief for Liverpool: Mohamed Salah to avoid action after Stoke incident

Wolves could break the 100-point mark on the last day of the season while they’ve won 30 of their 45 games this year, scoring 82 goals and conceding just 36.

Those are impressive figures, but they’ll be looking to now make key adjustments to ensure that they stay in the Premier League and avoid an immediate return to their current environment.

According to The Express, that involves a £35m swoop for Butland if Stoke finish in the bottom three, with the report specifically noting that Liverpool have also been linked with a move for the England international.

What this potential move would mean for current Wolves goalkeeper John Ruddy remains to be seen, as he has impressed this season and would be unfortunate to lose his place in the line-up immediately after going back up.

Further, question marks have to be raised over whether or not Liverpool are really still interested in such a move given the form of Loris Karius to end the season.

The German shot-stopper was initially alternated with Simon Mignolet at the start of the season, but he has now firmly established himself as the top choice having now started 14 consecutive Premier League games.

As a result, splashing out £35m on another goalkeeper doesn’t seem like the smartest transfer strategy this summer, with Jurgen Klopp likely to be keen to address other areas of his squad in order to ensure that Liverpool can compete on multiple fronts moving forward.

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