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Sergio Aguero has responded to speculation he could join Barcelona and link up with Argentina team-mate and close friend Lionel Messi at the Camp Nou in the summer after his Manchester City contract expires.
The Manchester City striker has sought to play down the reports on Twitch, according to Marca. “They are all writing Barca, Barca, Barca,” he said. “Let’s hold on a little, have a look. Stop. We are still with City.”
Barcelona has already made a formal offer to Aguero following the appointment of Joan Laporta as the club’s new president, according to TyC Sports. Laporta believes the arrival of Aguero could help convince Messi to stay at the club.
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Will Aguero Leave Manchester City?
Aguero’s future remains uncertain particularly as the striker has struggled for game time in 2020-21. The 32-year-old has only made four starts all season for Pep Guardiola’s side in a campaign that’s been interrupted by injuries and illness.
Guardiola was asked about Aguero’s future at the club this week at a press conference but gave little away, as reported by the club’s official website.
“We are going to talk to him as a human being, as a person and, of course, as a player. We will have to see what happens at the end of the season. We cannot forget how long he was out,” he said. “Now he has started getting better. I know he needs minutes to get to his best condition but we are now maybe not in the moment we can give minutes for minutes. I think the club has spoken with his agent and they know the situation.”
It’s unclear if Manchester City will offer Aguero, who is the club’s record goalscorer, a new contract or allow him to walk away for free in the summer.
Meanwhile, Aguero has made it clear how he feels about playing with Messi at club level. Aguero was asked in a chat with Ibai’s Twitch channel about the possibility of playing alongside Messi, as reported by Goal. The striker answered with a grin, “who doesn’t like to play with Leo?”
The Argentine will turn 33 in June but could still prove a tempting proposition for Barca, particularly as he will be free and the Catalans have financial difficulties. Barca failed to bring in a new No. 9 after Luis Suarez left in the summer, and coach Ronald Koeman said back in January he wanted a new striker.
Will Messi Stay?
Yet Messi’s future is also in doubt with the captain also out of contract at the end of the current campaign. The Argentine has said he will wait until the end of the season to decide his future which means speculation continues to rage about his next move.
Journalist Marcelo Bechler has reported that French side Paris Saint-Germain remain confident they can land Messi this summer. PSG believes they have the finances available to sign Messi and can offer a “better project” than Barca.
Much may depend on what happens between now and the end of the season both on and off the pitch at Barca. The arrival of Laporta may help convince Messi to stay given the president was also in charge previously between 2003-2010 when the club achieved great success.
More success could follow this season with Koeman’s men still in contention in La Liga and the Copa del Rey. The Catalan giants are second in the table with 12 games left to play and will face Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final.
There are also signs the Dutch coach is starting to build a promising young team at the Camp Nou. Youngsters such as Pedri, Sergino Dest, Ronald Araujo, Ilaix Moriba, and Oscar Mingueza have all seem plenty of minutes this season, while more experienced players such as Frenkie de Jong and Ousmane Dembele are still both only 23.
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