Chelsea could be boosted in their pursuit of departing Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero by fresh claims that he is keen to continue rising up the all-time Premier League goalscoring list, while a willingness to forgo Champions League football to stay in England could also bring Tottenham in.
Aguero is out of contract at the end of the season and will leave City after ten years at the Etihad Stadium, during which time he has become the club’s all-time leading goalscorer and arguably best ever player, as well as helping establish them as one of the best in Europe.
As a free agent who will start next season aged 33, Aguero stands to be immensely sought after this summer, especially in a depressed transfer market that will be driven by value for money.
Chelsea were recently rumoured as favourites to land him, despite that meaning leaving City for a direct rival. That is strengthened by the latest from the Evening Standard, which suggests that while Aguero is tempted by interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, his preference is to remain in the Premier League to keep adding to his goal tally.
He is already the top scoring foreign player in Premier League history on 181 goals, ahead of Thierry Henry, but the goal tallies of Andrew Cole (187) and Wayne Rooney (208) are in his sights. Alan Shearer’s all-time record of 260 is likely to be a step too far, but Aguero would only need 28 more goals to move up to second place on the list and cement his legacy even more.
It is said that Aguero has always been ‘settled’ in England, which is not always the case for overseas players, particularly those from South America because of the cultural and lifestyle differences, and that Chelsea are already ‘at the table’ when it comes to options.
Aguero is thought to be so keen to stay in the Premier League that the Daily Telegraph reports he would give up playing Champions League football in order to do so.
Chelsea slipped out of the top four on Monday night after West Ham took advantage of the Blues’ shock defeat to West Brom two days earlier. It could also make Tottenham a genuine option, with Spurs currently two points further back from Chelsea in sixth place.
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Source : 90min