Manchester City Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Joe Hart Before January Window

Chelsea could reportedly make a move for Manchester City's on-loan goalkeeper, Joe Hart, if they lose No. 1 Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid.

England international Hart is on loan at Torino and has been heavily linked with potential interest from Liverpool as it seems unlikely he has a future at City, per John Cross in the Mirror.

According to AS (via The Sun's Lee Astley), Chelsea are also tracking the 29-year-old stopper, and he is top of their list to replace Courtois should the Belgian leave for the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Astley added that City manager Pep Guardiola will not let Hart join a direct Premier League rival "unless it is for a massive price," so Chelsea will have to stump up a lot of cash if they are to sign Hart.

They will likely have plenty available should they sell Courtois, as the 24-year-old has returned to his best form in 2016-17 and is contracted to the Blues until 2019.

Hart was loaned out by Guardiola in the summer, as the Spanish manager brought in Claudio Bravo to be his No. 1.

As yet, it is unclear whether the Catalan made the right decision, but Bravo's ball-playing superiority suggests he is a better fit for the former Bayern Munich boss' style of play:

Hart remains a solid goalkeeper, though, and could excel at Chelsea where he would not be under so much pressure to play out from the back.

Courtois has been a key player for Chelsea as they have won 12 league games on the bounce and risen to the top of the Premier League table.

It would be a big blow for the Blues to lose him, and they would want to find a top-level replacement as soon as possible—preferably a player who already has Premier League experience.

Hart would fit the bill given that he has been with City since 2006 and is a two-time Premier League winner.

City will surely attempt to block him from moving to Chelsea if the Blues do move for him, though.

But given he has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Etihad Stadium, it would not be a huge shock were he to leave for Stamford Bridge.