With the transfer window deadline between Premier League and EFL clubs shutting on Friday the rumour that Jack Butland could be making the move South to St Mary's with Angus Gunn going the other way is starting to resurface.

We reported this potential swap deal a few weeks back before the main transfer window shut and it seems to be doing the rounds again.

It went quiet when the Stoke keeper was linked with Liverpool as a stand in for the injured Alison after stand in Adrian had a nightmare against Aston Villa, but sources on Merseyside are saying that the Reds are looking elsewhere.

So that has brought Saints back in the picture , with Angus Gunn not having been issued a squad number it seems certain that the club will look to move him out either on loan or perhaps even on a permanent move if they can get the right man in.

Ralph Hasenhuttl doesn't seem to have complete confidence in either Alex McCarthy or Fraser Forster and bringing in Butland could be a gamble worth taking to see if he can resurrect his career.

Butland has shown before that he is a quality keeper when at his best. During the 2017/18 season when Stoke were relegated, he still averaged 4.1 saves per game and recorded six clean sheets, in Stoke's first season back in the Championship he was voted their player of the year and had the 3rd best record of clean sheets,

Those figures suggest that Butland still has plenty to offer in the top flight if he were to be given another chance at that level. The 27-year-old would provide another solid keeper for Ralph Hasenhuttl to have at his disposal, while allowing Gunn to exit on loan should help him get some much-needed game-time.

Photo: Action Images

underweststand added 21:53 - Oct 14 A long discussion about this on /off deal a week or so ago. We can't afford to have a £13 million, third choice keeper " hanging around" for another season. If Gunn has any talent at all , he should be able to get the no.1 spot at Stoke and make the difference. IMHO Butland is a better keeper than he has been made out to be, and in the last season or two much of Stoke's problem has been the defence in front of him. I suppose that Forster will go - eventually one way or another - and so having Butland on board will be a good chance for him to prove his worth . A win-win situation for both.

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derbydog added 08:39 - Oct 15 Doesn’t sound like a Saints deal to me. By all means sell/loan our third choice keeper, apparently Gunn, but why bring in another one? We should have a kid who can step up, or be investing a million or two on someone else’s. Bet Ralph knows a German or Austrian worth bringing in if we need a promising third keeper. Also, why would Butland make this move when he could go somewhere else and play?

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