Manchester City Transfer News: Joe Hart Wanted Exit, Oleksandr Zinchenko Rumours

West Ham United loanee Joe Hart has said a permanent move away from Manchester City this summer was his "ideal situation." Elsewhere, it's understood Citizens youngster Oleksandr Zinchenko has agreed a move to Napoli.

Hart joined the Hammers on a season-long loan after spending last term at Serie A outfit Torino on identical terms, but a permanent Etihad Stadium exit would have been preferred, he said, per Sky Sports' Rory O'Callaghan:

"The permanent move was going to be difficult. I don't think there were too many options for me to go on a permanent, if any. That was my ideal situation.

"When you've asked me questions I've always answered honestly, and ideally I wanted to be signing a permanent deal somewhere so I could set my life up and have a direction."

The England international's fall from grace at City began with the arrival of manager Pep Guardiola, who signed Claudio Bravo last summer before dispatching Hart to Turin in a controversial cut-throat manoeuvre.

Hart went on to add it was "fine" that a temporary switch is all that materialised but sees a starting place as his primary goal. Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News recently critiqued Guardiola as an authority figure stylistically:

Title prospects won't be anywhere near as grand at London Stadium as they might have been in Manchester, but Hart's comments—and last season's Torino move—suggest first-team football remains the key.

The two teams had a prime opportunity to test their mettle against one another as City beat West Ham 3-0 in a pre-season friendly, after which Goal's Sam Lee hinted at the drop in standards Hart is bound to witness:

With Ederson having also arrived at City as their new No. 1, it appears Hart's time at the club may be over and a permanent departure awaits the 30-year-old next summer unless stellar success with the Hammers convinces Guardiola he's worth another chance.

Meanwhile, Football Italia cited Italian broadcaster Studio Sport and reported Zinchenko is set for a €500,000 (£457,000) season-long loan move to Napoli, with the option to make the deal permanent next summer for another €6 million (£5.5 million).

The Ukrainian starlet arrived at the Etihad from Russian Premier League side Ufa in 2016 with plenty of promise, and fan account City Watch recently questioned if sending the 20-year-old away would be the right decision for the club:

Zinchenko spent the 2016-17 campaign on loan with PSV Eindhoven, where he made 12 Eredivisie appearances for their first team but also contributed nine assists in just seven appearances for their B team.

That proficiency highlights the attacking midfielder's promise as a playmaking force, although it now appears Napoli will be the ones to capitalise upon his potential.