Sunderland make loan bid for Joe Hart
Sunderland have approached English Premier League rivals Manchester City over the possibility of taking goalkeeper Joe Hart on loan.
The North East side’s Scottish international ‘keeper Craig Gordon is sidelined after suffering a fractured wrist, so manager Steve Bruce is on the lookout for a loan replacement while his regular number one recovers. He has pinpointed Hart as the ideal candidate after the England cap enjoyed a stellar year on loan with Birmingham City in the last campaign.
With Hart vying with Republic of Ireland international Shay Given for the gloves at City, he may feel another loan spell may be beneficial as playing regularly will keep him in the thoughts of England manager Fabio Capello ahead of the UEFA 2012 European Championship qualifying campaign.
No rush over decision
Under new league rules, EPL clubs must register a 25-man squad of players for the new season. However, with clubs not having to make a final decision on their squads until the transfer window closes at the end of the month, City manager Roberto Mancini may not be in too much of a rush to make a decision over where Hart will play for the next few months.
Bruce told local newspaper the Sunderland Echo that: "We've asked the question and we now just have to wait and see what City say. The timetable is not up to us on when we get an answer, it's up to them. Clubs don't have to name their confirmed squads until the end of August, so if they wanted to, City could delay any decisions on their squad until then."
With Gordon injured and back-up Marton Fulop looking likely to join his former boss (at Sunderland) Roy Keane, at Ipswich, Bruce will have to move fast to ensure he has an experienced goalkeeper ahead of the EPL kick-off in ten days.
Tags: