Manchester City tell Alex McLeish that Joe Hart is not for sale
• Birmingham manager unable to sign on-loan goalkeeper
• In-form Hart wanted back at Eastlands in the summer
Manchester City have told Birmingham City that they have no chance of signing Joe Hart full-time this month because the England international remains an integral part of their plans for the future.
Hart, who is on loan at St Andrew's until the end of the season, has been in outstanding form, keeping six clean sheets during Birmingham's 11-match unbeaten run to enhance his prospects of going to the World Cup in the summer. With David James injured, Robert Green and Paul Robinson both playing in struggling sides and Ben Foster failing to impress earlier in the season at Manchester United, the 22-year-old would appear to have a strong chance of being one of the three goalkeepers in Fabio Capello's squad for South Africa.
Alex McLeish has singled out Hart for special praise in recent weeks and had hoped that Manchester City might consider selling the former Shrewsbury goalkeeper, who lost his place at
Eastlands when Shay Given was signed from Newcastle United last January. However, City told McLeish the best Birmingham could hope for is agreeing another season-long loan for the 2010-11 campaign.
"City will take Joe Hart back at the end of the season," said the Birmingham manager. "There is no chance of us signing him in January. We asked the question and they said that won't happen. We never had an option from City to buy him. They said he was going out for experience to improve and he has improved. It doesn't preclude him from coming back and we can negotiate with City for another year. He has the comfort of knowing City really want him and he is part of their future."
Birmingham would have had no problem funding a Hart deal, with Carson Yeung, the club's owner, vowing to make up to £40m available to improve the squad this month. McLeish explained, however, that he was told City are keen to develop youngsters and that Hart, who has won one England cap, against Trinidad & Tobago in 2008, is seen as a "big part" of their plans.
"It is City's policy and they said that [Hart going back]," added McLeish. "When Mark Hughes went in they revamped the youth side of it and they brought in Mike Rigg who is chief scout. They were going to be putting in an active policy of having young players in place as well as bringing in the big names. Joe Hart remains a big part of the future. But you couldn't rule out that Joe stays with us in the summer."
