Transfer Rumour: Liverpool interested in Joe Hart as they look to solve their goalkeeper conundrum
Liverpool are closely monitoring Manchester City outcast Joe Hart’s performances at his current club, Torino, with a view to making a bid for him at the end of the 2016-17 Premier League season.
Hart is still a Manchester City player and is currently on a one-year loan deal with Torino after new coach Pep Guardiola emphatically stated that the 29-year-old wasn’t going to be a part of his plans going forward. The City coach completed a move for Claudio Bravo from Barcelona which resulted in Hart being relegated to the bench.
The England No 1 has received rave reviews playing for Torino so far, and the club is reportedly already trying to tempt him to sign a permanent deal at the end of the season. However, a move to Liverpool would represent a sensational return to the Premier League and the chance to work with one of the best managers in the world, Jurgen Klopp.
There were reports of interest in the shot-stopper from Liverpool towards the end of the summer transfer window as well, but a move never materialised and Hart decided to further his career in a new league.
The goalkeeping situation at Liverpool seems like an endless nightmare for manager Jurgen Klopp. After highly rated Loris Karius was bought from Bundesliga club Mainz in the summer, the young German struggled to make an impact and nail down the No 1 spot as his own, and costly errors in a string of matches cost the Reds precious points.
Simon Mignolet has since been swiftly reinstated as the first choice keeper, although only time will tell whether his spell on the bench has made him a more consistent keeper. Things are currently looking up for the Belgian shot-stopper after he registered consecutive clean sheets in games against Middlesbrough and Everton, but it would take nothing less than the same level of performances from Mignolet to convince Klopp that he needn’t dip into the transfer market for a new goalkeeper.
Another keeper that Liverpool have been linked with is Sunderland’s young star Jordan Pickford, who is now seriously pushing Joe Hart for the spot of England’s first choice keeper. Hart is aware that to retain his status as England’s No. 1, he must naturally be the No. 1 choice at his club and consistently put in strong performances.
However, a move by the Reds would definitely interest Hart, especially as he would almost certainly be guaranteed a starting spot.