According to reports, Manchester City have finally agreed to let Manchester United be a potential suitor for their departing goalie Joe Hart. The Citizens are desperate to dispose of their third-choice goalie this summer but with his astronomical wage structure, hardly have any club come forward.
The English goalkeeper is scheduled to join Manchester City on their pre-season tour following his loan stint with Serie A side Torino. Despite impressing for the Italian team last season, Torino has made it absolutely clear that they cannot afford either his £125, 000 wages nor his £25 million transfer fee.
Joe Hart, 30, has been a prominent figure at the Etihad in their two title-winning seasons since the takeover, but new boss Pep Guardiola doesn’t seem to be very impressed with him and has put him on the selling list. And hardly is there any team who would be able to splash the amount of cash City are asking for him, despite the kind of quality at stake.
Manchester United have shown increasing interest in Hart with the possibility of their number one David De Gea leaving Old Trafford growing every week. It is just a matter of time before Real Madrid table the asking £60 million bid for the goalie, and if this is any indication to go by then the Spaniard has already sold his Cheshire mansion.
And at £25 million, Hart is definitely the first choice to replace De Gea. He cannot afford to remain City’s third-choice under any condition especially with the World Cup knocking on the door, and regular football at United seems the best option for him now. Getting Hart will by no means be a step down for Mourinho as the Shrewsbury-born still has the potential to remain their number one for the next five years at least.
Loaning him off to Torino wasn’t a wise decision on the part of Guardiola at all, his first choice Claudio Bravo was as poor as he could be the last term. And if it wasn’t for Willy Caballero, City’s top four chances would have been under serious doubt. Hart, during his stint with City, has proved that he has the safest pair of hands
Since breaking into the first-team in 2010, Hart has conceded just 347 goals in 348 games, averaging less than a goal per game, a record sufficient enough for United to get him. He has earned 70 caps for the Three Lions so far and his move to Old Trafford could be a historical one, as it will be the first time in over a decade that the rivals will swap players.
