Tuesday, 3 April 2012

Diego Points Sergio to Real


Sergio Aguero's father-in-law, the great Maradona, has urged the Manchester City striker to quit England for Real Madrid at the end of the season.

'Kun' has only been at the Etihad since last summer when Roberto Mancini paid a club record £38million to Atletico Madrid for his services. 

Aguero has enjoyed a better-than-expected debut campaign in the Premier League, scoring 17 times despite a series of niggling injuries. 

The latest of those resulted a public telling off by boss Mancini after it became known the striker was suffering with blisters as a result of an anaesthetic freeze spray, applied after a knock against Chelsea.

And now, after City's shortcomings in Europe (they failed to escape the group stage in the Champions League), Aguero has been urged Maradona to jump ship for Spain.

Maradona told Radio de la Red: 'Kun has to play for Real Madrid. Even though he is flying at City, the best thing would have been to sign for Madrid. He made a mistake.

'Now, as he is doing so well, it will be difficult to get him from City. However if Madrid want someone, they get them. Florentino [Perez, the club boss] has no limits. It's a question of convincing City - but not with money because they have plenty of that.'

Spanish newspaper AS reported on Tuesday that the La Liga leaders were considering a swap deal that would involve sending Gonzalo Higuain plus £8.5m the other way. 

The striker, who is an international team-mate of Aguero, has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea as well as clubs in Italy, including Juventus. 

AS claim Aguero has already discussed a potential move back to the Spanish capital with team-mates, and that there is a growing feeling a move will materialise this summer.

Real manager Jose Mourinho, though, has dismissed the story, claiming that the country's media are trying to destabilise his team as they chase a domestic and European double.

The Portuguese, speaking at a press conference ahead of Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against APOEL Nicosia, said: 'You (the press) want to destabilise the squad. Last week I had signed for (Manchester) City, (Iker) Casillas was going to Schalke, Higuain to Malaga...'

On the Higuain-Aguero story, he added: 'The front cover of (newspaper) AS is false. If you want me to comment on false front covers then forget it.' 

Meanwhile, the club's director of institutional relations Emilio Butragueno also dismissed the suggestion of selling Higuain.

'Rumours seem to be inevitable,' he told the club's official website. 'But we are delighted with Higuain. He's scored 24 goals in 20 league games and just remember I was the league's top scorer with 19.

'He is a world-class striker and we intend for him to stay here many years. He arrived here very young and we regard him as a club player. He has always behaved impeccably, whether he plays or not.'

The report in AS added that a strong relationship between Real and City's owners - Perez and Sheikh Mansour - enhances the chances of a deal going through, while Mancini falters on his own prime target, Arsenal's Robin van Persie.

The Italian has made no secret of his admiration for the Dutchman - who is the Premier League's leading marksman - but has been met with resistance from Arsenal and the player's family.

Mancini, meanwhile, will listen to offers for Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez.