One bookmaker has halved the odds of Aston Villa signing Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart over the last two days.
Earlier this month, HITC Sport reported that Sky Bet had listed Aston Villa as 8/1 contenders to sign Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart in what would perhaps be one of the surprise deals of the summer.
However, Sky Bet now believe that Villa are more than outsiders for the England stopper’s signature, with the 30-year-old now just 4/1 to sign for Steve Bruce’s men during this window.
Joe Hart
Only West Ham and Newcastle remain ahead of them in the betting with Sky Bet. The Sun recently reported that the Hammers and the Magpies are both keen on Hart, but have been told that he is not available for a loan deal.
The fact that the Citizens are not keen to loan Hart out arguably makes Villa’s presence in the betting market all the more perplexing.
The Sun reports that Hart earns £120,000 a week at the Etihad Stadium, and City want £18 million before they sanction the stopper leaving the club permanently.
Villa have already shown plenty of ambition since Tony Xia arrived at the club, spending around £50 million in the summer following their relegation from the Premier League, according to BBC Sport, and then signing John Terry during this window.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
But meeting the demands that City have for Hart would surely suggest that their levels of ambition have reached a completely different level – arguably a level that few would believe that they could reach currently.
However, the way that the betting market has shifted over the past few days just hints that ruling out a move entirely could prove extremely foolish.
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