Barcelona 'favourites' to land Sergio Aguero after Man City exit

Barcelona have been named as favourites to land Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero on a free transfer this summer.

City confirmed on Monday that their all-time record goalscorer will walk away from the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season once his contract expires, with a statue set to be erected in his honour.

Reports on his next move have been mixed. The idea of returning to Argentina has been floated around, while a move to Premier League rivals Chelsea has also been suggested, but most of the talk revolves around Barcelona.

New president Joan Laporta is keen to bring Aguero over to Camp Nou, not least because it would make Lionel Messi happy, although there have been murmurs suggesting the Spanish side simply cannot afford to meet Aguero's wages.

However, the Manchester Evening News believe Barcelona are in pole position to snap up the 32-year-old this summer, with their cause helped by the fact that City are keen to sign Barca's number one target, Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland.

Laporta wants to build his rejuvenated squad around Haaland (as do literally every other club on the planet), but they may be forced to 'settle' for the outstanding consolation prize that is Aguero.

While Aguero's move to Barcelona remains speculation, one which seems pretty wrapped up is that of defender Eric Garcia, who is also set to swap the Etihad for Camp Nou on a free transfer this summer.

Mundo Deportivo note that there is a meeting planned between Garcia and Barcelona this week which everyone hopes will be the final negotiation, with both parties keen to thrash out the final details of the centre-back's move.

Everyone involved is supremely confident that Garcia will be a Barcelona player next season. It's just a case of getting the minor things sorted out.

Keeping the exodus going could be youth striker Liam Delap. The 18-year-old, who has 20 goals in 15 appearances for City's Under-23s this season, is seemingly on the radar of Real Madrid, with the Daily Star claiming that Los Blancos are working on a deal to snap the City wonderkid up.

Delap is under contract until 2023 and is widely seen as one of the standout prospects in English football, so Real would have to dig deep into their pockets before City even entertain the idea of parting ways with him.

For more from ​Tom Gott, follow him on ​Twitter!