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Aguero leaving Manchester City at end of season

Sergio Aguero, Manchester City’s all-time leading scorer, will be leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the season, the team announced Monday.

Aguero dazzled over an illustrious decade-long spell at City, winning the Premier League title four times, the League Cup on five occasions, and the FA Cup in 2018-19.

The 32-year-old is likely to add to his trophy cabinet before he departs, as City remain in the hunt to win an unprecedented quadruple.

“A huge sense of satisfaction and pride remains in me for having played with Manchester City for a whole 10 seasons – unusual for a professional player this day and age,” Aguero wrote in a statement.

“Ten seasons with major achievements, throughout which I was able to become the top historic goalscorer and forging an indestructible bond with all those who love this club – people who will always be in my heart.”

Aguero famously delivered City’s first Premier League title on the final day of the 2011-12 season with a 94th-minute winner against Queens Park Rangers. The goal bumped crosstown rivals Manchester United out of first place on goal difference.

Commentator Martin Tyler’s famous call of Aguero’s heroics makes the rounds to this day.

But it is Aguero’s longevity as City’s go-to striker that sets him apart. The Argentine has scored 257 goals in 384 appearances since joining City from Atletico Madrid in 2011, breaking Eric Brook’s 78-year-old record in the process. Among those tallies is a Premier League-record 12 hat-tricks.

Aguero transformed into a complete player upon Pep Guardiola’s arrival in 2016, upping his intensity and contributing to the team’s build-up play. But several injuries have curtailed his contributions over the past year. Aguero, who also missed time with COVID-19, has started just five matches in all competitions this season.

Team chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said a statue of Aguero alongside former teammates David Silva and Vincent Kompany will be placed outside the Etihad Stadium.

“Sergio’s contribution to Manchester City over the last 10 years cannot be overstated. His legend will be indelibly etched into the memories of everyone who loves the club, and maybe even in those who simply love football,” Al Mubarak said.

“This is not yet the moment for farewell words and speeches. There is still much to achieve in the remainder of the time we have with Sergio, and we look forward to his contributions to the challenges which lay ahead.”

It’s unclear where Aguero will end up next. He previously expressed a desire to return to Argentinian club Independiente, where he started his career, and he’s also been linked with Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Juventus. He’ll be available on a free transfer.

Soccer

Report: Dortmund place €180M price tag on highly coveted Haaland

Signing Erling Haaland was never going to be cheap, but now interested clubs have a clearer picture of what it’s going to take to acquire one of the world’s most coveted young superstars.

Borussia Dortmund have placed a €180-million price tag on the exciting forward in a move that appears to be designed to scare off potential suitors, according to ESPN FC’s Stephan Uersfeld and Rodri Faez.

The biggest clubs in Europe – such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich – have been linked with the Norwegian international over the past year.

However, Dortmund hope their valuation will ensure the market will be quiet this summer and that Haaland will stay at the club for at least one more season, Uersfeld and Faez report.

Haaland opted to sign with Dortmund instead of Manchester United in January 2020 after the Premier League side refused to include a release clause in his contract. Dortmund agreed to the clause, which does not become active until the summer of 2022.

The 20-year-old has gone on to star for the Bundesliga club, scoring 49 goals in 49 matches since his arrival from Red Bull Salzburg.

Haaland has 32 goals in 31 games this campaign for a struggling Dortmund side that sits fifth in the Bundesliga. If the club fails to qualify for next season’s Champions League, keeping Haaland could be a much harder assignment.

Soccer

Report: Manchester City expect to battle Real Madrid for Haaland transfer

Manchester City have placed Erling Haaland atop of their list of potential Sergio Aguero replacements and anticipate strong competition from Real Madrid for his signature, according to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath.

Chelsea are reportedly prepared to pay a club-record fee for the Borussia Dortmund marksman, but City apparently expect Real Madrid to make the first significant move to sign Haaland this summer.

Haaland, 20, is widely reported to be available for £68 million in 15 months due to a release clause in his Dortmund contract, but a higher offer could put his club under pressure to sell in the next transfer window. McGrath describes the battle to sign Haaland as a “£100-million race.”

The Norwegian – whose father, Alf-Inge Haaland, captained Manchester City – has regularly smashed goal-scoring records since boosting his reputation with Red Bull Salzburg during the 2019-20 Champions League group stage. He’s tallied 20 goals in Europe’s flagship competition quicker than any other player, and he’s notched an incredible 34 goals in 36 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund after joining them at the end of 2019.

Haaland has also scored six times in seven international outings for Norway ahead of the national team’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Gibraltar, Turkey, and Montenegro.

Aguero, whom Haaland could replace at Manchester City, is the club’s all-time leading scorer and famously notched the dramatic title-winning strike against Queens Park Rangers in 2012. But the 32-year-old Argentine has struggled to win back his place in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI since overcoming a spate of injuries.

Soccer

Messi leads Barca to 6-1 thrashing of Sociedad on 768th club appearance

Lionel Messi celebrated his record-breaking 768th appearance for Barcelona with two goals and an assist in Sunday’s 6-1 drubbing of Real Sociedad.

The 33-year-old set the milestone after tying club legend Xavi on 767 appearances in last week’s 4-1 win over Huesca.

Messi is now the Blaugrana’s all-time leader in games played, goals scored (663), assists (287), and titles won (34).

Messi, who’s starred for the club since making his first-team debut in 2004, has exploded into form, racking up 16 goals and seven assists in his last 12 matches.

The good vibes continued Sunday with another monumental victory that keeps Barcelona in the La Liga title race. The Spanish giants are four points behind Atletico Madrid with 10 games remaining.

Though Messi’s future at Barcelona remains unclear, there’s hope he’ll renew his contract before it expires at the end of June. Despite facing mounting debt, newly elected club president Joan Laporta has vowed to do everything he can to keep Messi, who nearly left Barcelona last summer, citing differences with then-president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

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