CITY SPECIAL Hart Hammers out his Blues departure
JOE Hart is set to complete a loan move to West Ham over the weekend which will lead to a permanent deal worth around £10m.
The England international has been searching for a club all summer after being informed he is not part of Pep Guardiola’s plans at City.
Hart was sent on loan to Torino last season after Guardiola signed Claudio Bravo as his new No.1.
Despite the Chilean enduring a troubled time in the Premier League, it has not paved the way for Hart’s return.
Guardiola instead made Ederson Moraes the most expensive goalkeeper in British football, signing the Brazilian in a £35m deal.
City’s asking price of £25m had proved prohibitive to finding a buyer for Hart, who had his own problems in Serie A last season.
But a compromise has been reached with West Ham, which will see him move on loan initially before a permanent deal at a reduced fee.
Hart’s move is part of a flurry of transfer activity at the Etihad ahead of their summer tour to the US.
After Kyle Walker’s arrival, City also hope to conclude a deal for Benjamin Mendy imminently for around £50m.
Guardiola still wants to add at least one more full-back, possibly two, with Ryan Bertrand another target from Southampton.
A new centre-back remains a possibility, while City are still trying to reach a breakthrough over Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez. KYLE Walker is looking to the players he has replaced as inspiration for his City career.
The former Tottenham right-back has admitted he is nervous about working with Pep Guardiola and his new team-mates as he plunges straight into the club’s pre-season.
Walker will be on the plane when City head to Houston on Monday after completing his move, although the rest of the squad have been hard at work for a week already.
If the England international has work to do to catch up, he has been watching the right-backs that have left the Etihad this summer in a bid to work on his game.
“I think they are both fantastic full-backs,” he said of Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna.
“I watched Zabaleta countless times on YouTube and clips, because I think his timing of runs into the box is fantastic. It’s something I can get into my game with my pace. If I can time my runs as well I don’t think anyone can stop me.
“I’m all about assists, I’m not really greedy.