Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed Joe Hart is free to leave the club this summer if he pushes for an exit.
Hart, 29, has been heavily linked with a move away after being dropped in City’s opening two matches of the season with Everton leading the Premier League pursuit of the goalkeeper.
The England international has been a mainstay in the City team for the last decade and his absence has come as a shock to fans despite the reasons behind it going against his skill set.
When questioned about whether Hart can leave this summer, BBC Sport quote Guardiola as saying: “I don’t want players to say if they don’t want. If they want to stay, stay and we will fight together.”
“If he stays he will improve. He understands what we want from our goalkeeper. I have a lot of respect for him. I know his value. I was clear what I was looking for. I want to play the way I like and the way I grew up.”
Since August 2013 no goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets in the Premier League than Hart (42).
For more stats on Joe Hart, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
