MIDDLESBROUGH have discussed the possibility of signing Crystal Palace outcast Jack Butland as Chris Wilder continues his overhaul of the club’s goalkeeping department.

Joe Lumley left Boro yesterday, joining Championship rivals Reading on a season-long loan, with Dejan Stojanovic also having completed his exit from Teesside earlier this summer. Luke Daniels, who finished last season as Boro’s number one, is also set to move on before the transfer window closes.

As a result, Wilder will sign two new goalkeepers in the next few weeks, with a number of experienced shot-stoppers currently in his sights.

The Boro boss has expressed an interest in Butland, who is set to leave Palace this summer after failing to hold down a first-team place last season.

The former England international joined Palace from Stoke City in October 2020, but made just eight Premier League starts last season, with Patrick Vieira relying on Vincente Guaita as his number one.

The Northern Echo:

The 29-year-old has one more year of his current contract to run, but does not want to spend another 12 months warming the bench at Selhurst Park.

Rangers and Bournemouth have both been linked with a move to secure his services, along with Championship side Birmingham City, but Boro are hoping the opportunity to be the undisputed number one at the Riverside will appeal.

The Teessiders have also held talks with Ben Foster, another ex-England keeper who is a free agent after his release from Watford, and Tom Heaton.

Heaton is currently the number three goalkeeper at Manchester United, and is keen to leave Old Trafford even though Dean Henderson, who was ahead of him in the pecking order last season, is also moving on.

Boro have also held discussions with Newcastle United over Karl Darlow, who is likely to move on once the Magpies make a goalkeeping signing of their own, and Leicester City over Daniel Iversen, who enjoyed a successful loan spell at Preston last season. Iversen will not be returning to Deepdale, with Preston on the verge of signing Newcastle’s Freddie Woodman.

Lumley’s departure was confirmed yesterday, with the 27-year-old having joined Reading on a season-long loan. The loan deal takes him to the end of his contract at the Riverside, so his departure means he has effectively played his final game for Boro.

“The goalkeeping position was a difficult one to solve for this club last season,” said Reading boss Paul Ince. “So, it was a priority to add strength in depth to that corner of the dressing room ahead of a brand new challenge in 2022-23.

“Lumley is a tall, confident, capable young keeper and he will be hungry to stake a claim for the goalkeeper position when he joins us at the start of pre-season training this week.”

The 27-year-old joined Boro from QPR last summer, and made 39 senior appearances last season under both Neil Warnock and Wilder.

However, he made a number of errors that eventually led to him being dropped to the bench for the final six matches of the campaign, with Daniels taking over goalkeeping duties. Daniels is also expected to move on this summer.

Tottenham are finally expected to make a formal move for Djed Spence this week, although negotiations could prove difficult with the Boro hierarchy adamant they will not be pressurised into accepting an offer they deem to be too low.

Boro value Spence at around £20m, but fear Spurs will come in with a much lower offer after stringing out their interest in the full-back for the last few weeks.

Nottingham Forest had been keen to re-sign Spence after his successful loan spell at the City Ground last season, but appear to have accepted they cannot compete with Spurs in the battle for his signature. Forest have lined up Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles as an alternative option.