Rumour Mongering: Everton and Liverpool Battle for Joe Hart

Joe Hart is on his way out at Manchester City. That much is clear. New manager Pep Guardiola has wasted no time sending that signal, starting Willy Cabellero ahead of the England number one for the club’s opening game and moving quickly to bring Claudio Bravo from Barcelona to be the club’s new top man between the sticks.

The Bravo deal isn’t done yet, but reliable reports suggest it’s a question of when and not if on that front, and meanwhile Hart spent Tuesday sat on the bench for the second game in a row as Cabellero started in City’s Champions League playoff game last night against Steaua Bucharest that City in the end won by a score of 5-0.

As a result, it’s clear Hart will need to find a new home, as soon he won’t even be City’s second choice in goal. Queue reports in Sky Sports that claim Everton and Liverpool are set to do battle for 29-year-old. Everton, for their part, on paper seem a likely suitor for Hart, who would easily become the club’s new number one.

Liverpool, on the other hand, would seem a less likely option. After all, the club just brought in Loris Karius, a player six years younger than Hart, to be their new number one. And though Karius is currently out with a hand injury, he is expected back in about a month, and in the meantime they still have Simon Mignolet.

Mignolet has been shaky for the club the past two seasons, hence the sourcing of Karius to be his replacement, but his presence gives the club two goalkeepers who would be in line to start many other places. Bringing in a third would make little sense—especially when, at best, Hart would arrive prospective number two.

Loris Karius was voted the second best goalkeeper in Germany by his peers last season, behind only Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich. He has been brought in not only to be Liverpool’s starting goalkeeper this year, but to be the club’s starting ‘keeper for the foreseeable future. Bringing in Hart now would make no sense at all.

Even if a home could quickly be found for Mignolet, it’s not a link that makes any real sense. Not the Hart to Liverpool half of it anyway. Moving a few miles down the road from Manchester and trading one shade of blue for another, though, wouldn’t seem the craziest idea.