Stoke smack incredible £50m price tag on Jack Butland – but is he worth it?

STOKE have reportedly slapped a £50million price tag on Jack Butland as they look to keep him at the bet365 Stadium beyond January.

The 25-year-old - who recently signed with Wayne Rooney's agency in a bid to return to the Premier League - has featured regularly for the Potters this season.

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And according to the , the Championship club are ready to resist any offers for the England international in the winter transfer window.

But they claim they will only entertain offers in the region of £50m as they look to bounce back to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

Should Butland leave for that sum in the New Year, he would break into the top three for the most expensive goalkeeper's of all time.

Chelsea stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga joined the Blues from Athletic Bilbao in the summer for £71.6m, while Alisson signed for Liverpool for £65m.

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Butland would also become Britain's most expensive keeper - eclipsing the £30m fee Everton paid Sunderland to bring Jordan Pickford to Goodison Park.

But potential suitors will no doubt be put off by the fee quoted by Stoke, considering they are plying their trade in the second division.

Butland has appeared in 18 Championship games this season - conceding 22 goals and keeping just seven clean sheets as Stoke sit 12th in the table.

Boss Gary Rowett said: "We’re not under massive pressure to sell anybody and I hope Jack’s on a mission for himself and Stoke to get back in the Premier League.

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"He’s had some challenges.  He had an injury last season and went from England’s No 1 to maybe not playing in the summer which is obviously what he hoped to do.

“People were talking about moves to Chelsea and then you find yourself playing in the Championship.  That’s not an easy thing to recover from quickly.

“You have periods of your career when there comes a test of your resilience and you have to come through them, show some character and he’s certainly done that.

“He’s showing us what he’s got – and that’s the ability to be the best goalkeeper in the country, in my opinion.”