Aston Villa do not think that Jed Steer is ready to play in the Premier League, according to Sky Sports.
The broadcaster claims that the Villans are targetting a summer swoop for Stoke and England shot-stopper Jack Butland as they aim to improve their options in between the sticks.
It is understood that they are apprehensive to use Steer, 26, next term despite him playing a key role in promotion from the Championship.
Sky Sports adds that Stoke will want more than £20million for ex-Birmingham star Butland, who is seen as an upgrade on Steer and Orjan Nyland.
OPINION
Steer did do well to help Aston Villa win promotion last season, but the club is right to have reservations about him being able to perform in the Premier League. In the first-half of last season, Steer was on loan at Charlton with him well down the pecking order at Villa Park. Lovre Kalinic arrived at Villa in January and if he wasn’t injured, the chances are that Steer would not have played as much since he was recalled from his loan at Charlton. Steer was only recalled due to Nyland’s injury, so that just shows how far down the pecking order he was and as soon as Kalinic came in, he dropped out of the side again. Steer is not a Premier League goalkeeper, he’s just a Championship goalkeeper who hit a purple patch when it mattered most. It also helped that he had Tyrone Mings in imperious form in front of him. Steer’s form should not stop Aston Villa fans from seeing that Butland would be a massive upgrade on the former Norwich man.