Last Updated: Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:37
Stoke City have won the race to sign Birmingham goalkeeper Jack Butland in a deal worth £5million and a loan back to St Andrew's.
The 19-year-old England Under-21 international has been heavily linked with a move away from the Blues since last summer when Southampton had several bids for his services turned down.
But with the Championship club in need of cash to boost their finances, Blues boss Lee Clark has been forced to relent and offload the club's prized asset in this January transfer window.
Butland had snubbed a move to Chelsea earlier in the week because he wanted to join a club where he would be guaranteed first-team football. And, following Potters number one Asmir Begovic pledging to stay at the Britannia Stadium for the rest of this season, the club have agreed to loan Butland back to Birmingham until the summer.
It could be that Begovic will be offloaded in the future and Butland is being lined up by Potters boss Tony Pulis as his long-term successor.
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