Spurs lining up £2m January move for Birmingham keeper Butland



Hot prospect: Butland has been a regular for England Under 21s this season

Tottenham are preparing a £2million bid for Birmingham's England Under 21 international goalkeeper Jack Butland.



Butland has yet to play a first team game for the Blues, but according to the Daily Mirror, Harry Redknapp's scouts were impressed by the 18-year-old during his loan spell he had at Cheltenham earlier this season.



Spurs are known to be in the market for a goalkeeper with Brad Friedel, 40, and Carlo Cudicini, 38, both nearing the end of their careers, and 6ft 4in Butland fits the bill perfectly.

Former No 1 Heurelho Gomes has been frozen out and Redknapp is also understood to have made a £5m move for FC Twente's former Liverpool keeper Nikolay Mihaylov, 23.

But given Butland's age, any move for Mihaylov is unlikely to prevent an approach for the Bristolian shot-stopper, who has represented England at every level from Under 16.

Given Birmingham's money problems, manager Chris Hughton has accepted that he may receive offers for some of his squad in January.

No 1: But Brad Friedel is not getting any younger

The former Spurs player and coach told the Daily Mirror: ‘I’m not thinking at the moment about players I might lose.

‘We are very much aware of what the financial situation of the club is.

‘I have got a competitive squad and until I’m told anything different, then we work the same way we’ve always worked.

‘If that’s not the case, then we work the best ways around it and with the best solutions we have. At the moment, it’s not a big concern to me.’