Arsenal transfer news: Jack Butland wanted by Gunners and Liverpool

Stoke shotstopper Jack Butland is at the centre of a tug-of-war between Arsenal and Liverpool, reports The Sun.

The paper says that the England goalkeeper is wanted by both Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger as they look to freshen up their squads in the summer.

The 24-year-old Butland, who comes with a £40million price tag, has at least a decade of top-class goalkeeping in front of him, and the Sun says that hasn’t escaped the attention of Wenger.

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The performance of Petr Cech was one of the few positives that the Arsenal manager will have taken from his side’s 1-0 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday, but at 36 Cech's best days are behind him.

Hence the French gaffer is on the look-out for young goalkeeping talent and Butland is high on his summer shopping list. The same goes for Klopp, who has long been linked with a list of goalkeepers to replace the inconsistent Simon Mignolet.

According to the Sun the Belgian is “ready to quit Anfield after showdown talks with his boss last month”, and consequently Klopp is tailing Butland because he also has “doubts” about Loris Karius. The German has replaced Mignolet between the Anfield posts this year but the Sun claims that Klopp isn’t sure his compatriot is the long-term answer.

The Daily Express says that Liverpool came close to tabling a £40m bid for Butland in last month’s transfer window, but held fire when word reached them that Stoke manager Paul Lambert “had no intention of letting Butland leave”.

The Express says that the Potters will fight tooth and nail to keep hold of their England keeper, raising the possibility of a bidding war breaking out between Arsenal and Liverpool in the summer with the final sum likely to far exceed the original asking price of £40m.