Joe Hart would take a pay-cut to join Championship club Leeds United, according to reports which emerged on Thursday morning.
Football Insider have said that the 33 year old would be willing to accept a significant drop in his £70k-a-week wages to join the West Yorkshire side in the summer as he is out of contract at the end of the season.
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After being reduced to a deputy role for the last 18 months, Hart wants to join an ambitious club as a No1, replacing Kiko Casilla.
It comes two weeks after Alan Nixon revealed that Derby County were lining up a possible swoop on a free transfer in the hope to reignite his playing career.
The former England international has struggled for game time at Turf Moor, playing just three games this season, and his current deal is set to expire at the end of the campaign.
Since 2018, he’s played 19 times for Burnley, and prior to that, he was with West Ham where he also made the same number of appearances.
Besiktas are also showing interest in him due to his ‘top reputation and past experiences in European football’ along with his loan spell at Serie A side Torino a few years back.
A deal with the Turkish side will depend on whether they can do a deal to keep Loris Karius, who is on loan from Liverpool.
Speaking in October about wanting to play, and the possibility of heading elsewhere, he said: “I hope so, it’s what I’m working every day to do (play football). It’s been a difficult couple of years for me thus far.
“It’s been really frustrating because I moved away from Manchester City fully intending on keeping my England shirt so I made decisions that had to be made but they weren’t necessarily great future moves for me but I appreciate the clubs that took me on.
“I just want to play. I want to play at the highest level. It doesn’t (look like it will be at Burnley), it’s very strange, I get on with the manager, they’ve got a direction they want to go in, Nick (Pope) is doing great.
“Whilst I’m still a member of that squad I’m going to work my hardest for that team.
“Obviously I have to respect my contract and I’ll fight for Burnley whilst I’m contracted to them but I’m 32, I’ve had a few years off, I feel good, I’d love an opportunity but I’m going to keep fighting for Burnley, my contract is up in the summer so we will see where that takes me.
“I’m looking forward to playing football again. It’s something I would do again (playing abroad), I really enjoyed that experience. English football for me at the moment, I don’t know if I’m going to get to do what I want to do.”
Hart is described as a vastly experienced keeper, who has made 537 senior appearances across his career. He started with Shrewsbury Town before working his way up with loan spells at Tranmere, Blackpool and Birmingham, before signing and spending the majority of his career with Manchester City, where he went on to win the Premier League twice, the FA Cup once, the League Cup twice, won the PL golden glove a total of 4 times and played 42 times in the Champions League.
Fans reacted after reading that Joe Hart would take a pay-cut to join the Championship club…
No thank you. Leeds have a much better keeper in Meslier who should keep his place. Hart is way beyond his best and should retire gracefully.
— stuart (@stusvoronos79) April 30, 2020
As a goalkeeping coach?
— Michael Baxter (@Marceloleeds) April 30, 2020
I’d take him definitely.
— Adam (@adamden69827965) April 30, 2020
???
— BobbyH?? (@BobbyHarrold) April 30, 2020
Sorry we want to stay up not get relegated he’s a disaster ???
— Kenny Brown (@kennybrown1964) April 30, 2020
Rather have @MeslierIllan on a permanent
— Carll Light (@Cfbhfdcvjgf) April 30, 2020
No thanks we have a reserve goalkeeper ?
— Stu (@stu1476) April 30, 2020
— Mikey Rob (@mikeyrob11) April 30, 2020
A wealth of experience would go along way in coaching the likes of Phillips and the younger players very smart move, very good keeper on his day aswell
— Joe (@Rhino12344) April 30, 2020
Wouldn’t have him near us tbh.
— Eddie Spence ?? (@_EddieSpence) April 30, 2020
— Dave (@_Dave_Smith) April 30, 2020
We have one of the highest rated keepers under 20 in the world is Meslier, no chance we are benching him for Hart moving forward, got moved from City as he cant play out from the back.
— Matt (@MWJS82) April 30, 2020
Meslier much better option
— Ron (@ronaallleeds) April 30, 2020
Don’t want him.
— Benjamin Haigh (@haigh_benjamin) April 30, 2020
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