RANGERS are closing in on a deal for keeper Jack Butland.
SunSport can reveal the former England No 1 is on the brink of becoming Michael Beale’s first signing of the summer.
GettyUnited moved for Butland after the keeper was linked to Rangers last year[/caption]
GettyThe 30-year-old was at Wembley at the weekend[/caption]
Kenny RamsayVeteran Allan McGregor’s Rangers contract expires at the end of next month[/caption]
The Ibrox club were linked with the 30-year-old last year.
But after initial talks broke down, Butland joined Manchester United on loan.
His Crystal Palace contract expires on June 30, with Gers now set to secure his services for next season.
Beale is a long-time admirer and is in the market for a replacement for Allan McGregor.
The veteran goalie looks set to leave Gers when his own contract expires in June.
Butland will be handed the No 1 jersey at Ibrox, spearheading Beale’s recruitment drive.
The Gers boss wants at least five new signings, as he looks to overhaul his jaded Gers squad.
Beale spoke last week, confirming he’d held talks with several targets.
Butland, who was on the bench for United’s FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton at Wembley on Sunday, is one of them.
The goalie, who has nine England caps, started his career at Birmingham before moving to Stoke then Palace.
His time at United as cover for David de Gea is the seventh loan of his career. Butland also played for Team GB in the 2012 London Olympics.
Beale hinted last Friday that McGregor could retire at the end of this season.
The 41-year-old former Scotland star looked set to bring down the curtain on an illustrious career after last season’s Cup final win over Hearts.
But he penned a new one-year deal, and fought off competition from Jon McLaughlin for the gloves, before re-establishing himself as first-choice.
McGregor will start Sunday’s Cup semi-final against Celtic, as Gers look to keep alive their hopes of landing some silverware this season.
Meanwhile Rangers are in talks with police after a fan was injured by a missile allegedly thrown through the window of a supporters bus last night.
The club have also revealed their “disgust” at some of the chants sung by Aberdeen fans during yesterday’s Premiership clash.
Rangers lost the match 2-0, and things took an ugly turn after the game at Pittodrie when a coach carrying Rangers supporters was attacked by objects thrown by Aberdeen fans.
Another video appears to show a group of Gers fans running down the same street towards another bus, although it can’t be seen from the clip exactly what or who they are running from.
The Ibrox club confirmed in a statement that one fan had been injured in the bus attack.
So far, one arrest has been made in connection with the bus incident and there have been a further four arrests relating to alleged incidents in and around the ground during the match.
Regarding activity inside the stadium, Rangers called out section of the Aberdeen support for “mocking” the Ibrox Disaster and other club legends, and for their targeted abuse of club legend Ian Durrant.
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