Manchester City close on £38m Sergio Aguero

Posted Saturday, July 23, 2011 by The Sun

ROBERTO MANCINI is set to land super striker Sergio Aguero for £38million.

The stunning capture of the Atletico Madrid ace is just the tonic for Manchester City boss Mancini, who rates Aguero as the perfect replacement for the unsettled Carlos Tevez.

Mancini believes the Argentinian will settle into the Premier League as soon as he completes his switch to the Etihad.

He said: "Aguero is young and can start to score a lot. He will become a top striker. He is 23 and now is his time.

"He is like Carlos Tevez and could play with Carlos, or Edin Dzeko or Mario Balotelli.

"He can play as first striker or second striker. He has good technique. After many years in a top club like Atletico Madrid he can play Premier League.

"Aguero is a good player, like Samir Nasri, like Cesc Fabregas, like Robin van Persie - there are a lot of good players in England."

Mancini insisted Tevez may not have played his last City game - despite his very public request to leave the club.

He said: "Carlos is still a City player at the moment. He should fly back in August. Will he play for City again? Yes."

But the news is not so good for Craig Bellamy, who has indicated he wants to sit out the last year of his contract at the Etihad.

Mancini said: "We have three strikers and possibly another so it will be difficult to have a player who can only play once a month. I don't like this."

City's versatile defender Pablo Zabaleta, signed from Espanyol three years ago, has agreed a new three-year deal with the club.