Joe Hart 'wanted by Tottenham with Jose Mourinho keen to boost quota of homegrown players'

Tottenham have identified free agent Joe Hart as a summer target in what will be manager Jose Mourinho's first full season at the helm.

Hart is currently without a club after being released by Burnley at the end of this campaign.

And according to talkSPORT, the 33-year-old's next destination could be north London.

However, a stumbling block could be his wages. Hart reportedly earned £50,000-a-week at Burnley - a figure that Tottenham are unwilling to match.

Spurs are on the lookout for another back-up goalkeeper, following the departure of Michel Vorm, and Hart's homegrown status aids the club two-fold in terms of having a bigger squad too.

At present, the Premier League outfit have too many players who do not count as homegrown, which restricts the size of the squad they can name.

For example, this season Mourinho was only able to have a squad of 21 available in the Premier League, as opposed to the maximum number of 25, as they failed to meet the homegrown criteria.

Under Premier League rules, a club can name no more than 17 overseas players in their 25-man squad. And in February, Mourinho selected just four homegrown players.

The Premier League deems a homegrown player as someone 'who, irrespective of nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to The Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons, or 36 months, before his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21)'.

This meant that Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Harry Winks (all FA) and Ben Davies (FAW) qualified, which meant four spaces had to be left. Eric Dier remains non-homegrown in the Premier League list as he came from Sporting Lisbon's academy.