Hart wants permanent move
CHICAGO: Joe Hart is desperate to leave Manchester City and reignite his career after being marginalised by Pep Guardiola.
The former England goalkeeper was axed by the Spaniard following his appointment two years ago and despite loan spells at Torino and West Ham United, the 31-year-old has failed to secure a permanent move away from the Etihad.
Hart made his first City appearance since August 2016 in the International Champions Cup 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund at Soldier Field on Friday yet knows his future lies elsewhere.
On as a second-half substitute for Claudio Bravo, the man brought in by manager Guardiola to replace him, he looked assured and produced an excellent save midway through the second half.
Chelsea have been linked with a move if Thibaut Courtois departs for Real Madrid but with Hart in the final year of a contract believed to be worth around £160,000 per week, only a long-term deal at another club will suffice.
“I’ve never had such a long summer off so it’s just good to be playing football again,” said Hart who admitted he will sit out the final 12 months of his contract if he’s unable to find a suitable move.
“I’ve been away, enjoyed it as much as I could. I’ve been dealing with it the same way I deal with everything. I’m professional and I get on with things.
“My job is to play football. I’ve got other people trying to sort other things out for me in terms of a direction. I’m supposed to be here so this is where I put all my energy and time.
“I need to go somewhere permanent, I think that’s obvious. I did what I did in the previous two seasons because I needed to play to be involved in the World Cup.
“And look where that got me. I’ve played at the highest level for a long time and done a lot of things in the game. I need to be an important player at that club and I think that can only happen with a permanent move.”
BAYERN DOMINATE PSG
German champions Bayern Munich hit three second-half goals as they beat French titlists Paris Saint-Germain, 3-1, on Saturday in a friendly in Klagenfurt, Austria.
PSG were without their World Cup winners, but they did start Adrien Rabiot, who refused to serve as a reserve for the French squad. Bayern were without their legion of German internationals, despite the national team’s early exit in Russia.
PSG took the lead with a 31st-minute goal by American Timothy Weah, the 18-year-old son of African legend George Weah.
Bayern dominated the second half and struck three times in 18 minutes.
Spaniard Javier Martinez opened the scoring past Gianluigi Buffon, the Italian veteran who joined PSG this summer. Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanchez and 17-year-old Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee added the other two, after Buffon had gone off.