Joe Hart has sealed a loan move from Manchester City to West Ham United, who are also closing on the signatures of Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez.
Hart has been out of favour at the Etihad Stadium since Pep Guardiola took charge last summer, and he spent last season on loan at Torino. The Blues had hoped to sell the England international in a cash deal during the current window, but have relented this stance to allow him a second loan spell.
The 30-year-old will spend the coming campaign at the Olympic Stadium, after the Hammers agreed to pay a £4.5million price which includes a loan fee and salary contribution. Hart will likely start as number one choice, although he will face competition from Adrian and Darren Randolph.
“It’s important for me to play football and to get the opportunity to come here and play is absolutely awesome,” he told West Ham TV. “I’ve always loved the club. I think you’ll struggle to find anyone, apart from the direct opposing fans around London, who doesn’t love the club.
“It’s got something about it, it’s got a lot history and I’ve always loved playing against West Ham. We’ve moved into London Stadium and we’ve got Slaven Bilic in charge who I’ve spoken to and I’ve always enjoyed as a manager. So to get the opportunity to come here, it wasn’t really a hard decision.”
Hart becomes Bilic’s second signing of the summer, following his former City team-mate Pablo Zabaleta. In what could be a busy week at the Olympic Stadium, there could be two more additions in the coming days as negotiations draw to a close for both Arnautovic and Hernandez.
The Mexico striker, formerly of Manchester United, is available from Bayer Leverkusen for £13million. It is understood he has already held talks with West Ham, and the club are hoping to conclude a deal this week as they look to bolster their attacking options following a disappointing 2016-17 season.
And after having two bids for Arnautovic rejected by Stoke City, Sky Sports claim a third offer of £24million has now been accepted. The 28-year-old is thought to be keen to move to the Hammers, where he would become their record transfer upon completion of the formalities.
