Man City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly given the shock go ahead for Joe Hart to make the move across the city to join Man Utd.
The 30-year-old is evidently not a popular figure with the Spanish tactician, as after being snubbed last summer, it looks as though he’s set to be offloaded 12 months later.
Guardiola brought in Claudio Bravo 12 months ago to replace the England international, who was then shipped out on a season-long loan deal to Torino with his chances at the Etihad limited.
Despite Bravo’s struggled last season, Guardiola hasn’t seen that as a sign to bring Hart back into the fold, as instead he’s signed Ederson this summer which in turn has led to this report from The Express which suggests that he’ll be offloaded rather than stay as the third choice.
However, the destination part is the shock, as while it makes sense that City want to get rid of a player on £125,000-a-week who has a £25m asking price, only a top club could meet those demands, with United potentially in the market for a new shot-stopper in the event that David De Gea finally makes his move to Real Madrid.
From Hart’s perspective, the move would make sense. It would allow him to stay in Manchester, get regular first-team football in order to keep his England spot ahead of the World Cup next summer and he gets to prove himself and stay in the Premier League.
Nevertheless, there are still concerns. Sergio Romero’s form in the Europa League last season could even make it difficult for him to get a starting spot at Old Trafford, assuming De Gea does indeed move on, and it may not make too much sense from a United perspective.
Hart will report for pre-season training tomorrow, but there are serious reservations over whether or not he’ll be staying long.