West Ham United remain interested in signing Joe Hart, and hope to persuade Manchester City to let him join on an initial loan deal.
It is clear that the England international has no future at the Etihad Stadium, with Pep Guardiola signing two goalkeepers since succeeding Manuel Pellegrini last summer. Claudio Bravo arrived from Barcelona 12 months ago, and Ederson has joined in a £34million deal from Benfica last month.
Hart spent last season on loan at Torino, and although he didn’t exactly set Serie A alight with his performances, he still has admirers in Italy. But the 30-year-old is keen to remain in the Premier League, as he wants to nail down his place in the national side ahead of the World Cup Finals.
West Ham have been linked with the former Shrewsbury Town youngster for some time, and according to Sky Sports, they are about to step up their interest in acquiring his services. However, they must first persuade City to accept a loan deal, rather than hold out for a permanent exit.
It is understood the Blues would prefer to receive a transfer fee for Hart this summer, such is Guardiola’s insistence that he doesn’t figure in their plans. Slaven Bilic’s side would ideally like to take the goalkeeper on loan for a season, with the view to buying him at the end of the campaign.
Meanwhile, the Hammers had had an offer of £15million for Marko Arnautovic rejected. The Austria international is keen to leave Stoke City this summer, but the bet365 Stadium club want closer to £20million for a player who remains under contract until the summer of 2020.
