Manchester City will reportedly refuse any loan offer for goalkeeper Joe Hart, as they want to sell him this summer for nothing less than £30m.
The England international has fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola, with the Spaniard dropping him to the bench for the first two games of the season.
While Willy Caballero isn’t expected to be the long-term choice, a new shot-stopper will likely arrive at the Etihad this month with Hart heading out.
According to The Sun though, City have ruled out the possibility of the 29-year-old leaving on a loan deal, and have instead outlined their demands with a £30m fee required to sign Hart.
As noted in the report, Everton are keen on the City star, and there are even suggestions that they would be willing to meet City’s transfer fee demands while also offering big money to reach an agreement with Hart on personal terms.
The two clubs didn’t experience the greatest of negotiations over John Stones earlier this summer though, and so that could complicate things further.
Nevertheless, what is clear is that Everton will have to spend big on Hart if they wish to make him their first-choice goalkeeper this season, as his City career now looks certain to end in the coming weeks.
Hart has been left out by Guardiola with question marks raised over his ability to efficiently distribute from the back. Further, given his record of making costly mistakes in recent years, it’s clear that Hart hasn’t done enough to convince the City coach that he can be a reliable presence in between the posts.
In turn, he will now likely leave City in search of regular first-team football, with Everton now seemingly well placed to swoop.