Manchester City Identify Star Strikes As Long-Term Replacement For Aging Aguero: Report

Manchester City reportedly have made Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland as their top targets for the next summer.

As the four-time Premier League champions prepare for a transition away from the aging Sergio Aguero, the club wants to bring in Haaland or Martinez as a long-term replacement, as reported by the soccer website 90 Min.

Aguero, who has netted 255 goals in 372 competitive matches for Man City, has established himself as one of the greatest strikers in the Premier League since his arrival from Atletico Madrid in 2011. His current deal with Manchester City is due to expire at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, but it is understood the club wants the Argentinian to stay for a few more years.

In the meantime, the Etihad side also wants to bring in a specialized striker to offload responsibilities from Aguero’s shoulders.

The Pep Guardiola-managed club has Gabriel Jesus, who was considered as a long-term replacement for Aguero when the 23-year-old arrived from Palmeiras in 2017.

However, there have been concerns over whether Jesus has the potential of filling in Aguero’s shoes. The 90 Min report further stated while the Man City officials tried to sell Jesus at the recently ended summer transfer window, the doors remain open for the departure of the Brazilian playmaker in 2021, with Man City keen to clear funds for either Martinez or Haaland.

Inter Milan forward Martinez looks like a more-likely option after Barcelona failed to sign him in the summer of 2020 because of the club’s poor financial conditions.

The Argentina duo of Lionel Messi and Aguero have been impressed with the 23-year-old Martinez and it is believed Aguero has been heaping praise on his young compatriot to Man City’s superiors.

In Haaland’s case, the race to acquire the Norwegian’s signatures won’t be an easy task as the talented striker already has the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Liverpool FC chasing him. It was previously reported Jurgen Klopp is seeing Haaland as an ideal replacement for Roberto Firmino, who is linked with a move to Real Madrid next summer.

Haaland has a special clause in his current deal with Dortmund. Haaland’s agent Mino Raiola inserted a release clause in the player’s contract when he joined Dortmund from RB Salzburg in January. Any club can buy Haaland in 2022 by triggering his release clause of $82 million, which is the same as Firmino’s.