Joe Hart Will Not Be Offered in Asmir Begovic Transfer, Says Manuel Pellegrini

Joe Hart was linked with a loan move to Stoke City in exchange for Asmir Begovic in several Tuesday reports, but Manuel Pellegrini has moved quickly to deny the story.

UPDATE: Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 1:44 p.m. GMT

During Tuesday's press conference, Pellegrini refuted claims suggesting Hart could leave Manchester City, per Sky Sports:

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There is a lot of news about six or seven goalkeepers that we want to buy but it is not true. There is no chance that Joe Hart could go out of this squad in January.

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---End of update---

Alan Nixon of the Mirror reported that City's recently dropped No. 1 would be offered to Mark Hughes' team in a loan deal spanning the rest of the season, although this now looks extremely unlikely, considering Pellegrini's retort:

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Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini wants Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic to be his new number one.

And Joe Hart could head the other way for the second half of the season to preserve his England World Cup place.

The Blues are ready to bid up to £15 million for Bosnia & Herzegovina international Begovic, who has proved to be one of the steadiest goalies in the Premier League.

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Hart was dropped from the Etihad side's starting lineup after a string of poor performances and match-defining mistakes. His late blunder in the 2-1 loss to Chelsea proved to be the final straw, as his eagerness to sprint from the line eventually saw Fernando Torres sneak home a late winner.

Costel Pantilimon is an able deputy, but rumours suggest Pellegrini isn't fully confident in the Romanian's ability.

Begovic continues to excel for Stoke and has been one of the Premier League's top stoppers across the past few seasons.

He was reported to be interesting Chelsea at the beginning of the year, per Dominic King of the Daily Mail, while Arsenal and Manchester United are also said to have been keeping tabs on the giant, as noted by David Wright of the Daily Star.

Pellegrini has confirmed Hart will start during Manchester City's Champions League tie with Viktoria Plzen, reported by BBC Sport. The heavily scrutinised goalkeeper will need an excellent performance to regain his place in the side and may feel greater pressure than usual in front of the home crowd.

Hart needs to be playing regularly if he is going to maintain his position in the England lineup that is travelling to next summer's World Cup.

Roy Hodgson is unlikely to select individuals who aren't consistently representing their club and may turn to Fraser Forster or John Ruddy if Hart fails to reclaim his starting position at City.

A loan move to Stoke may seem far-fetched, but taking into account the current situation of Hart's career, a brief stint at the Britannia Stadium could serve to be more useful than constantly sitting on the bench.

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