Reports over disputed Hart loan fee

The Daily Express today claims while Hart has had a medical with the Hammers there remains a dispute over a loan fee. The tabloid say: “West Ham have agreed to pay 90 per cent of his £130,000-a- week wages but have yet to agree a loan fee.City, who are keen to offload Hart, want £5m while West Ham are holding out for around £2m.”

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail have a different take on the delay. They claim today “The Hammers are unwilling to pay a loan fee for the goalkeeper and all his wages. They have proposed a deal in which they would pay a fee to have Hart at the London Stadium next season but his estimated £130,000-a-week wages would be shared.”

It seems bizarre that City would be demanding a loan fee if they are paying up to fifty percent of Hart’s wages as they did last season.

The confusion of the loan fee may come from the fact that loan fees are often used in lieu of wages. A £5m loan fee would equate to one season’s of Hart’s £100,000 reported wages while a £2.5m loan fee could equate for 50% of his basic wages. Either way, we need to be patient and wait for this one to play out. There doesn’t seem to be any competition for Hart’s services so the Hammers appear to be in the driving seat.

Meanwhile the BBC claim Hart will have a medical on Monday before completing a season-long loan deal with West Ham. The London Evening Standard echoes that adding: “the terms of the loan agreement between the two clubs are all but complete with Hart due in London on Monday as the deal nears completion.”