Fabrizio Romano is reporting that Jean Butez may finally be leaving Antwerp. Despite trying to find a move all summer, Butez remained in Antwerp after the deadline had passed. He has not played for the side, with Senne Lammens being the sides number one. The club have always been intending for Butez to leave either in the summer or January, and it appears they may have finally found a deal they are happy with.
Butez looks set to join Como in their bid to remain in Serie A. The side are currently 16th in the Italian top flight, just a point above Cagliari in the bottom three. This season the side, managed by former Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, have been reliaing on veteran goalkeeper Pepe Reine. The former Liverpool man is 42 and has kept one clean sheet in his eight matches. Prior to using Reina, 27-year-old Emil Audero had also been used, keeping no clean sheets in his eight matches.
During Antwerp’s title winning season two years ago, Butez was one of the best goalkeepers in Belgium. He was part of the league wide best defence. The 29-year-old French goalkeeper is valued at around €4m and has a contract in Antwerp until 2026. Romano has not yet revealed the nature of the deal and whether or not the transfer fee is at that level or above. Either way, for Antwerp, they will be able to get another high earner off the books as they look to trim back the cost of the squad.
GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson