•  Southampton are keeping an eye on West Brom keeper David Button.
•  The Saints see him as a potential backup option.
•  But Reading are also in the race and look set to recruit him when the Baggies pay him off.

Southampton are keeping tabs on West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper David Button at this stage, according to this morning’s Patreon report from Alan Nixon.

The Saints already have the likes of Gavin Bazunu and Alex McCarthy at their disposal, but it remains unclear whether both will remain at St Mary’s beyond the end of the summer window.

If they don’t, they will probably require another stopper to come in with Mateusz Lis sealing a loan switch to Goztepe earlier this month.

And Button could be a cheap addition for Russell Martin, who may want to limit his spending just in case the south-coast side don’t raise much revenue from potential player sales between now and the end of the summer window.

But the shot-stopper could be on his way to League One side Reading, with Nixon believing the 34-year-old will link up with the Berkshire outfit when Albion give him a pay-off.

What is David Button’s situation at West Brom?

The experienced stopper may not be required at The Hawthorns beyond this summer, even though the Baggies have reportedly accepted an offer from Luton Town for Alex Palmer.

Josh Griffiths is available as another option and although more depth could potentially be required in this area before moves for both Button and Palmer are sanctioned, Button didn’t exactly impress under Carlos Corberan last season.

That has probably strengthened the Royals’ chances of getting a deal over the line, with many Albion supporters now keen to see the back of the 34-year-old as they enter a new chapter under Corberan.

Signing a contract last year to extend his stay at The Hawthorns, the 34-year-old’s deal doesn’t expire until next year, but it would be difficult to see the Baggies not offloading him unless they don’t have a sufficient number of goalkeeping options at their disposal.

Would Reading or Southampton be a better destination for David Button?

The third-tier side are in real turmoil with the club being placed under another embargo because of an unpaid HMRC debt.

The players also failed to be paid on time and in full on three occasions last season and this is something Button will need to think about carefully when he weighs up whether to make the switch to Berkshire.

It would be difficult to see him not securing a starting spot under Ruben Selles considering his CV and this is a key reason why Button may be tempted to drop down a level.

Jokull Andresson may be a promising keeper but he may be seen as too inexperienced at this point – and Dean Bouzanis hasn’t done enough in pre-season to suggest that he should be the club’s starting option between the sticks.

At St Mary’s, there’s less off-field turmoil but it would be difficult to see him playing there much and if he wants to play regularly, there’s no point in him making the move to Martin’s side.

And that’s why it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Royals did win the race for the stopper’s signature, although they need to sort out their debt before they can properly continue their rebuild.