The Potential Aguero Replacements and Their Odds to Join City

Sergio Aguero's glamorous trophy-laden career at Manchester City will come to an end this summer, which is not exactly news to everyone who has followed his sensational career. The Argentine is fortunate if he gets minutes on the pitch in a City shirt these days, with injuries and Gabriel Jesus keeping him out of the starting XI, and now, the club's all-time top scorer will leave the club to once again start first team football.

Barcelona currently lead the way to sign the Premier League superstar at 11/10, which will unite two legendary Argentines, Lionel Messi and Aguero, for the first time in their career at club level. However, with Messi's contact still not sealed for the future, this may be a factor in the City man not joining, with Messi ironically expected to go the other way.

Here, we take a look at Aguero's potential replacements at City and their odds to join the club.

Unsurprisingly, Erling Haaland has been heavily linked with a move to City in the summer, as he continues to score goals at a ratio we only see the very best of all-time put forth and the Norwegian has truly become one of the world's best strikers.

Firstly, there are only a few clubs in Europe who have the financial firepower required to prize Haaland away from Borussia Dortmund, with City being one of them. Secondly, Haaland has links to the Premier League champions-elect, as his father, Alf-Inge Haaland, played for the club between 2000 and 2003.

If the 20-year-old was to sign for City, then they would be replacing one of the best strikers in Premier League history with someone who is tipped to be a potential Ballon d'Or winner on many occasions over the next 10 years, surely making them favourites to win the league for the foreseeable future.

It does seem as if everything is adding up for City to get Haaland. His dad's time there, Aguero moving on, Haaland surely wanting to move on too, City's ridiculous spend - it all looks very promising for Pep Guardiola.

Haaland is now the favourite to join City next at 6/4.

Since leaving Manchester United in 2019, Romelu Lukaku has re-emerged as one of Europe’s elite strikers, with the Belgian bagging 42 goals in 62 league games for Inter Milan as of April 1st.

To this date, Lukaku also boasts of 27 goal contributions in 26 games in Serie A this campaign, as he hopes to lead Inter to their first league title since winning the treble in 2010 and beat Ronaldo to the top scorer award.

If the 27-year-old was to move to the Etihad, it would surely come as a bit of a kick in the teeth for United, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer didn't see a future for Lukaku in his system at the club and forced the sale to Inter.

Lukaku is at bigger odds than Haaland to move Manchester, and in truth, with a Serie A title seemingly over the horizon, there is surely no desire for Lukaku to return to the Premier League right now. However, given the toxic nature in which both fans and managerial staff at United left things in 2019, don't be surprised if Lukaku pushes for this move.

The Belgian is 8/1 to join City this summer.

Perhaps a more left-field option for the Citizens, as the rumour mill claims that Juventus may be looking to offload Paulo Dybala this summer, with many Premier League clubs already being linked.

The bookies early favourite to secure the Argentinian is Chelsea at 6/1, with City as high as 11/1. Dybala has been out with an MCL injury since January, however, so may not present himself as a preferred attacking option. Guardiola, however, has been known to get the best out of players, so he may fancy his chances at returning the 27-year-old back to his best performances, if his first choices are not available.

This one is more of a longshot, as he might just cost too much for what he can offer, and, Dybala is far from the preferred choice to replace a man who is the second greatest goalscorer in Premier League history.

Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane is in the midst of one of his best seasons to date, with 17 goals and 13 assists in the Premier League alone. However, question marks over Spurs' trophy chances have raised debates over whether the England striker should seek a move away from north London in order to win his first piece of silverware. As City are proving by still fighting on four fronts this season, there is obviously no better club in the country for winning trophies, as Pep Guardiola has built a side of serial winners.

Moving to City would also allow Kane to continue his pursuit of Alan Shearer’s goal record (260), a feat that he is no doubt eager to reach. The prospect of a prime Kane joining a City attack that already boasts an embarrassment of riches is frightening, but surely one that Guardiola will be desperate to see happen.

City's main issue will be how Daniel Levy will not doubt asks for a figure close to £200m in order to keep Kane there, but if any club has this money, it's the destined Premier League champions. At the same time, the England captain's love for his boyhood is clear to see, otherwise he surely would have left years ago, and similarly to Shearer's career, sometimes you just can't beat playing for the club you love.

Guardiola's side are the clear favourites to get him at 11/4.

Lionel Messi was slashed down to as low as 1/4 to join City in August 2020, as news broke how the Barcelona legend wanted to leave the club immediately and on a free transfer. However, with a final year remaining on his deal, the Argentine couldn't leave as he wanted to and committed to that final year.

Now, as Barcelona are out of the Champions League in damming fashion to Paris Saint-Germain, and trail Atletico Madrid in La Liga, it's still extremely likely that Messi will depart the club in the summer, especially how he hasn't signed a new deal three months before this one expires.

City are no longer the sole favourites to acquire his services this time around, however, with PSG and City both priced at 2/1, as Messi reportedly wants to reunite with Neymar, four years after the two last played together in what was arguably the best attacking force in football history.

Aguero leaving might play a factor in his decision to not move to Manchester, as the six-time Ballon d'Or winner is the godfather of his children and a very close friend. On the other hand, with City potentially winning everything in sight and Guardiola still there, once again, the signs do point towards Messi joining the cub.

By Luke Feather