Torino club president Urbano Cairo has hinted that Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart could stay at the Italian club after his loan expires.

What’s the word?

Questions have been raised over the England number one’s long-term club future after he was offloaded by City last summer.

Manager Pep Guardiola made it clear that Hart was not going to be first choice at the Etihad Stadium, so he ended up on loan at Torino.

The 29-year-old claimed earlier in the season that he does not expect to stay a City player for much longer, and Torino’s club president stated last month that the Serie A outfit would not be able to afford Hart’s wages on a permanent basis.

That sparked speculation that Premier League heavyweights Liverpool or Chelsea could snap up the goalkeeper, but perhaps Torino have not ruled out a move after all.

Cairo told reporters that a decision on Hart has not yet been made, even though the Italian club recently signed teenage shot-stopper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.

“Nothing has been decided. When his loan expires we will have to talk to City. Milinkovic-Savic is 19. If [head coach] Sinisa Mihajlovic sees him as the Serbian Donnarumma, he may opt to focus on him as a starter.

“Nothing is decided with Joe Hart, though. We will discuss it with him and the club and see what the conditions are. Nothing is defined from this point of view.”

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What is best for Hart?

Moving to Torino has been a good choice for Hart as he has done well in Serie A and has had regular game time.

So far this season the Englishman has started 20 league fixtures and he settled in quickly to life in Italy.

He would probably seriously consider a permanent move to Torino if the offer came up, but his English roots would suggest that he would at one stage like to return to the Premier League.

Liverpool would be a good option for Hart given that both Jurgen Klopp’s goalkeepers are struggling, but whether the Merseyside outfit would be interested remains to be seen.

Chelsea were also rumoured suitors, but Hart would only get minutes under his belt if Thibaut Courtois was to leave.

Considering how quickly Guardiola decided that he did not want the Englishman suggests that City will not try to keep hold of him, but Hart’s replacement Claudio Bravo has been guilty of plenty of blunders this season, so perhaps they should consider bringing back their former number one.

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