What’s the story?
Manchester United and Manchester City are both busy assembling teams of superstars so that they can move on from the disappointing campaign’s that they have had and focus on dominating the league as well as Europe. And according to English outlet The Express, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is open to the idea of allowing Joe Hart to sign for their arch-rivals Manchester United as the English shot-stopper is no longer in his plans.
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The report adds that the Red Devils have identified Hart as the #1 target to replace current goalkeeper David De Gea, should the Spaniard join Spanish giants Real Madrid during the transfer window.
In case you didn’t know…
Joe Hart has fallen down the pecking order at the Etihad outfit ever since the arrival of Pep Guardiola and was loaned to Serie A side Torino for the entirety of last campaign. The 30-year-old managed to keep 6 clean sheets for the Turin outfit during the course of the 2016/17 season.
Manchester City had signed Claudio Bravo to be their first-choice shot-stopper for last season, however, the signing of the Chilean didn’t go as per plan as the veteran goalkeeper struggled to adapt to the demands of English football. The 34-year-old is set to stay at the Manchester outfit and challenge new world-record signing Ederson for the #1 position.
The heart of the matter
Pep Guardiola doesn’t rate Joe Hart – as is evident by his loan to Torino last season and the willingness of the Citizens to allow him to join their arch-rivals. But that is not all. The Etihad outfit signed Ederson from Benfica for a world-record fee for a goalkeeper and the Brazilian will compete with Bravo to be the first-choice.
This leaves no room for Hart at the club and Manchester City are actively looking to get him off their wage bill, while also hoping to pocket a transfer fee in the region of £30 million for his services. The 30-year-old has been linked with West Ham United and Everton ever sine the season came to an end but the two clubs weren’t able to afford his astronomical wages – said to be in the region of £125K per week.
Manchester United are relatively confident that De Gea will not leave this summer but the lure of the two Spanish giants is such that a move cannot completely be ruled out and they have identified Hart as the perfect replacement for the Spaniard if he does leave. The Red Devils are one of the few clubs in the world to afford his astronomical wages while also paying City the requisite transfer fees.
Also Read: 10 most expensive Jose Mourinho signings
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Author's Take
A move between the Manchester clubs is extremely difficult to fathom but not necessarily impossible. We have seen in the past that clubs grant their long-term servants their wish of joining any club they want – even if they are the club’s biggest rivals and a similar scenario can be true for Hart. However, it all hinges on whether Real Madrid still want David de Gea or not.
