Tottenham are set to complete the signing of former England international Joe Hart on a free transfer, with Jose Mourinho keen for an experienced and homegrown reserve goalkeeper.
Hart, 33, is due to complete a medical and agree a short-term deal with Spurs, having left Burnley at the end of his contract.
The 75-cap England international is expected to compete with Paulo Gazzaniga as understudy to Mourinho’s No1 goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris following the departure of Michel Vorm.
Spurs have struggled with the balance between homegrown and overseas players in recent seasons, with Mourinho forced to leave Victor Wanyama out of his Champions League squad earlier this year.
Spurs have fallen foul of Uefa’s rule that a club must have no more than 17 ‘non-locally trained’ players in their European squad, partly because Eric Dier, who was raised in Portugal, and Welshman Ben Davies do not count as homegrown.
Under Premier League rules, a club can name no more than 17 overseas players in their 25-man squad. In February, Mourinho selected just four homegrown players in his league squad, meaning he could name only a total of 21.
Hart is thought to be confident of game-time at Spurs given next season’s hectic schedule and the prospect of a glut of Europa League fixtures.
Mourinho is already facing the prospect of having to field an Under-23 side in the early round of the Carabao Cup – as Liverpool did last season – due to potential clashes with Europa League qualifiers.
After being ditched by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, Hart spent time on loan at Torino and West Ham before joining Burnley on a two-year deal.
He played 19 league matches in his first season, rotating with Tom Heaton, but Nick Pope became the Clarets’ first choice last term and Hart was restricted to three appearances in cup competitions.
