Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is set for a medical at Manchester City.
The Chile international, 33, has been identified by Cityboss Pep Guardiola as his new number one keeper.
Asked about Bravo, Guardiola said: “I cannot deny what everyone knows. The deal is not complete. AfterI will answer about a player who at the moment is notour player.
”Should the deal go through, it would push Joe Hart down to number three in City’s list of goalkeepers.
City are not commenting on the development, but it isunderstood Bravo has been told he can leave Barcelona.
Hart has started the campaign as second choice to Willy Caballero, with Guardiola having major reservations about the 29-year-old’s ability to play as the kind of ‘sweeper-keeper’ his preferred system demands.In the circumstances, it was expected Hart would move before the 31 August transfer deadline but an immediate transfer is no longer certain.
England’s goalkeeper has no interest in moving abroad to reported suitors Sevilla or Borussia Dortmund.
Meanwhile, Everton – which seemed a potential destination late last week – now appear to have cooled their interest, partly due to Hart’s wages, which are beyond their current structure, and the early-season form of new signing Maarten Stekelenburg.
On Monday, Guardiola said Hart “has a chance to play” in Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier second-leg against Steaua Bucharest, while England manager Sam Allardyce said Hart’s situation was ‘a concern’ but said he would still pick the player in his squad for the World Cup qualifier against Slovakia on 4 September.
The Englishman trained with Cabellero at the City Football Academy on Tuesday morning. Yaya Toure, Wilfried Bony, Samir Nasri and Eliaquim Mangala, who like Hart have played no part for City so far this season, were also among the 33 players who trained across two pitches.
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