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Chelsea is monitoring the departure of Sergio Aguero from Manchester City with the forward seen as a possible alternative should they fail in their search for Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund, sources told ESPN.
City confirmed on Tuesday that their all-time record scorer will leave the club at the end of this season when the 32-year-old’s contract expires.
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Sources have told ESPN that Aguero is considering the interest of several of Europe’s best clubs and it is believed that Barcelona will lead the race to sign him.
It is unclear at this time if Agüero would entertain himself playing for another English club after spending 10 years at City, but sources told ESPN that Chelsea wants to be informed of the situation should it indicate a desire to remain in. the Premier League.
The pursuit of Haaland remains Chelsea’s top priority this summer, but that race will be tremendously competitive. The 20-year-old’s father, Alf-Inge, and agent Mino Raiola were photographed in Spain this week in the direction of conversations with representatives of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
More meetings are expected in England and with other major clubs as Haaland weighs his options, although Dortmund are reluctant to sell this summer for less than € 180 million.
ESPN reported on March 5 that senior figures at Stamford Bridge were optimistic about their prospects for convincing Haaland to join, but have also drawn up a list of alternatives that have recognized the need to further strengthen their line of attack. Agüero and Lautaro Martínez of Inter Milan are among the names that have been discussed.
Olivier Giroud is expected to leave when his contract expires, while talks have stalled with Tammy Abraham about a new deal.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel wants to persevere with Timo Werner despite the German international’s difficult first season in England (the forward has scored twice in his last 31 games for the club and the national team), but there is widespread agreement that reinforcements are needed.
Tuchel was laudatory about Aguero when asked about Chelsea’s interest with the two clubs that will meet in an FA Cup semi-final later this month, a Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium in May, and a possible Champions League final after that with both clubs. in the last eight.
“It’s the same answer as for Haaland,” he told a news conference on Friday. “We have full respect for Manchester City and for Sergio Agüero, who is a great player for them. I don’t need words about the achievements of this type, he is a world-class player.
“But don’t forget, we competed in three competitions for Manchester City, so I will never talk about their players or talk about the future of a player. He is their player and I hope they will do the same with our players.”
“We are rivals and, as I said, I have no shortage of words to praise Sergio Agüero’s career. He is outstanding and speaks for itself. And it is not finished yet. He is still a City player and he will still help them achieve it.” achieve their goals, which is a huge collision with our goals because we are following the same things. “
