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Hart's ready to reject Spurs move
Joe Hart is ready to knock back Tottenham Hotspur and pledge his future to Manchester City..
The Blues are keen to reward the 21-year-old with an improved contract - even though he has two years left on his current deal.
Spurs have expressed an interest in Hart but seems to be unable to offer Hart a guarantee of first-team football.
This is a key factor for the star who needs to be playing regularly if he is to take the jersey off David James.
Hart has always been open about his international ambitions and knows his best chance of achieving them will come with City.
Everton, Arsenal and Chelsea all had Hart watched before Pearce stepped in to take him to Eastlands for just 600,000 two years ago.
Former Blues legend Joe Corrigan, now of the staff at West Brom, also tried to take Hart to the Hawthorns, only to discover that City had already made their move.
Corrigan said: "When I first joined West Brom, I discussed Joe with Bryan Robson, who was the manager at the time.
"I went to watch him at Shrewsbury, and was very impressed. I went back to Bryan with a high recommendation, and we tried to get hold of him to bring him to West Brom.
"But City had already been to see him by then, and we couldn't match the money they were prepared to put down.
"Even then, at the age of 16 or 17, he looked a good prospect, and City were prepared to take him on and see if he could do it in the Premier League."
Since then, the calmly-spoken Hart has impressed management and fans alike with his refusal to be fazed by big occasions.
His shot-stopping ability, allied to his commanding presence, have marked him out as a future England regular.
Fabio Capello cited him as one to watch soon after he took over as England coach in December.
And with James just over a month away from his 38th birthday, Robinson showing no sign of forcing his way back into the picture and Scott Carson recovering from a wobbly season at Aston Villa, Hart is in pole position to become Eng- land's No 1 for the long term.
It is understood that the keeper wants to stay at City, but wants a contract which reflects he has made.
The Blues are aware of this, and are working behind the scenes to get a deal done and put an end to the speculation surrounding his future.
Other sports stories:
>> Scolari: United can't bully Ronaldo
>> United confident of Tevez deal
>> Everton swoop for Spurs star
>> Ronaldinho welcomes English move
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Friday 25 May 2012
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