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As Manchester City squandered a string of golden chances in the derby loss to Manchester United on Sunday, television cameras focused on a man sitting sadly in the stands, unused once more.
Seeing helplessly as his team suffered a crushing defeat would have been bad enough, but what must have bothered Sergio Agüero even more is that Pep Guardiola only brought in two players despite desperately needing a goal, later admitting he was relatively happy with that of your team. performance except its finish.
Sadly, Aguero’s brilliant career in the Premier League appears to be coming to an inappropriate end.
The 32-year-old is out of contract for the summer and Manchester City aren’t exactly breaking his back trying to get him to sign a new deal.
That’s not to say that Aguero will definitely leave the Etihad Stadium in the summer, but it seems likely at this point.
Once upon a time, a forward of his caliber would have had all the European giants lining up to acquire his services.
But at his age, and with injuries that continue to plague him for most of the 12 months, Aguero’s options are few and far between.
After all, any club understands that signing Aguero now would be a gamble because he will still have a great salary – he makes £ 220,000 a week at City.
And for a player who hasn’t scored a goal in the league since January 2020, he’s made just 11 appearances all season and now it looks like Argentina will drop him, could he realistically justify the money?
There will always be more than one element of risk involved when it comes to signing forwards who are nearing the end of their careers.
But Agüero has been one of the best scorers of the last decade and that will always attract his interest.
He will always remain one of the City’s all-time greats, perhaps the greatest? – With 254 goals for the club in his 10 years there, but with doubts about Agüero’s physical form, who will be willing to bet on him this summer?
Sportsmail weighs your options.
Barcelona
Barcelona is in the middle of a financial crisis and has adjusted the strings of Ronald Koeman’s transfer budget.
Aguero, therefore, suddenly becomes a very attractive option.
The forward will be available on a free transfer in the summer and is a cheap alternative to Barcelona’s other goals.
The LaLiga giants also see Agüero as someone who could help them kill two birds with one stone.
It will give them a high-profile replacement for Luis Suárez, who left for Atlético de Madrid last summer, but it could also provide them with a player whose connection and friendship with Lionel Messi may spur him to stay.
Agüero made a name for himself in Spain as a young forward playing for Atlético, so he will also have fond memories of his time in LaLiga.
It is also a less physical league where older forwards tend to thrive. Suárez and Karim Benzema are examples of this. Like Roger Martí from Levante and José Luis Morales Nogales, who have 10 goals in the league this season.
If Agüero still has a bit between his teeth and the ambition to continue playing at the highest level, surely he will be interested in the attention of Barcelona.
It is not your most likely landing site, but it would be foolish to rule it out.
Probability: 6.5 / 10
Independent
Agüero has never tried to hide his desire to one day return to the Independiente of his childhood.
Before his contract was extended in 2018, he revealed that he would be returning to the club where it all began.
‘It is clear to me that when my contract ends, after the World Cup [Russia 2018]I’m going to Independiente, ” Agüero said in 2016.
“Here at Manchester City they are great to me, they always told me they were open if the possibility of a transfer arose.”
There is no better time than this summer for Agüero to seal his dream of returning to the Avellaneda giants.
Agüero began his career at the club, joining in 1997 as a youngster before leaving in 2006 to join Atlético de Madrid.
Now there is a return on the cards after 15 years, with Independiente considered the favorite to sign him this summer.
Agüero is one of the best Argentine strikers of all time and will undoubtedly be received with open arms. Chances are high for this move to happen.
Probability: 8/10
Inter Miami
David Beckham loves planning bold moves for his Inter Miami franchise.
The idea itself was crazy, but he made it happen and now the former Manchester United legend is hell-bent on building a star-studded squad of the biggest names in football.
When asked about the possibility of bringing Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to his club, Beckham said: ‘Without a doubt, those are the type of players that we aspire to bring to our club.’
He has already managed to convince Blaise Matuidi and Gonzalo Higuaín to join and Agüero could be next.
The Argentine international was on Beckham’s finalist list a year ago and will likely be polled again when he becomes a free agent in the summer.
And thanks to the Designated Player Rule, dubbed the Beckham Rule, which allows MLS clubs to sign three players outside of their salary limits, Aguero’s salary demands shouldn’t be a problem.
When Beckham reached out to Aguero 12 months ago, he reportedly didn’t shut down on the move, but it’s hard to see Inter Miami having any more punch than Barcelona or his childhood club at this point.
Probability: 6/10
Stay in Manchester City
As mentioned above, Manchester City do not seem overly impressed with the idea of keeping Aguero beyond his contract and there has been no discussion of that.
The 32-year-old has been a brilliant servant of the club, but they are already looking to build for the post-Aguero era with Erling Haaland and Harry Kane lined up as his possible successors.
Agüero has always talked about his desire to return to Argentina and, just a few years into his playing career, this could be his last chance.
However, for the moment, Pep Guardiola is delighted to have him around and insisted that his ‘special qualities’ will help City in their quest to win an unprecedented Quadruple.
City have had to get used to playing without a main striker in the absence of Agüero and Gabriel Jesús at times this season, but Agüero will probably have a chance to showcase here at the end of the season with a few appearances in his eleven. initial in the next few weeks.
If Aguero can display the kind of prolific form of recent years to help achieve the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and Champions League, who’s to say he can’t convince City to at least offer him one more year?
Stranger things have happened, but that, in truth, is nothing more than speculation, as they both seem to have made up their minds.
This, apparently, will be the final chapter of what has been a beautiful love story.
Probability: 4/10
What about retirement?
Given the year he’s had, retirement has probably entered Agüero’s mind once or twice.
But the general consensus is that if he’s in shape, Aguero is still one of the best at what he does.
Despite all the injuries, Agüero will feel like he has at least two more years left.
You know your body better than anyone and you will know when is the right time to close the curtain on your career, which doesn’t seem like it right now.
And with the opportunity to return to his childhood club, you’d hope Aguero didn’t hang up his boots yet.
Probability: 2/10
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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