After Pep Guardiola made it perfectly clear that Joe Hart was not the goalkeeper he had in mind for the number one spot when he took over at Man City, we knew that the England keeper would need to find a new club...
But we did not expect him to end up where he is going.
After rumours began to surface on social media on Wednesday afternoon, it became apparent that Torino were interested in offering Hart a chance to start right away, something that would not have been as straightforward for the clubs that were linked with him in England, but Gianluca Di Marzio has tonight confirmed that Joe Hart will be playing for the "other club" in Turin.
#Calciomercato | #Torino, è fatta per Joe #Hart: i dettagli https://t.co/CfTG0V2Lxq
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) August 29, 2016
And it has since been picked up by The Guardian, who are reporting that the deal will be a loan.
Joe Hart has agreed a deal to join Torino on a season-long loan, with the goalkeeper expected in Turin on Tuesday to undergo a medical ahead of completing the move from Manchester City.
The two clubs, alongside Hart’s representatives, spent Monday agreeing the final terms of the contract, with both City and Torino understood to be contributing to the 29-year-old’s salary of around £135,00 a-week.
Torino are a side that have continued to grow ever since returning to the top flight of Italian football in 2012, but it is extremely strange that Hart has opted to make the move to a mid-table Serie A side.
Perhaps it speaks volumes that after Man City's starting goalkeeper was openly looking for a new club, no team in England wanted to make a deal. Also possible is that Hart value's the Italian history regarding goalkeepers and wants to experience their football culture... Which sounds a lot better for him.
Either way, this is the type of deal that would have been met with disbelief if it were rumoured just a few weeks ago, and is the type of thing that makes you stop playing your FIFA career mode because the transfers are too strange.
