Sergio Aguero is reportedly planning to hold off on any immediate move back to Argentina if Manchester City decide to sell him in the summer.
The striker's future at the Etihad has been the subject of many column inches in the media recently after Aguero lost his starting berth in the City lineup to teen prodigy Gabriel Jesus, and the Independent has now claimed that Aguero would look to stay in Europe and play for another club, competing in the Champion's League, ahead of heading back to his homeland to feature for his boyhood club Independiente.
The 28-year-old harbours ambitions of turning out for his former side before he hangs up his boots in the years to come, but is now eyeing an extended stay in one of Europe's top leagues despite admitting that his future would lie back in Argentina from 2018 onwards.
Aguero's current deal at City does not expire until June 2020, and despite stating his intent to move back home in just 18 months' time, those plans appear to have been shelved as the forward looks to ply his trade on the continent for the foreseeable future.
Speaking about his return to Independiente in March 2016, Ageuro said: "It's clear to me that when my contract ends, after the World Cup [Russia 2018], I'm going to Independiente.
"Here at the club they are great with me, they always told me that they were open if the chance of a transfer arises. But where am I going to go in Europe? No, when I go, when my contract ends, I'm going to Argentina to play for El Rojo. From Manchester, straight to Avellaneda."
76 “ Since the start of the 2012/13 season, only Sergio Aguero (90) has scored more Premier League goals than Romelu Lukaku (76). Lethal.
City officials have refuted suggestions that Aguero will be sold in the summer, and that the arrival of Jesus from Palmeiras is merely to provide competition for places in Pep Guardiola's first-team squad. That has not stopped speculation over Aguero's future being discussed at length, with La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona allegedly keeping a close eye on his situation in Manchester.
Aguero himself had cast doubt on his future with the two-time Premier League champions in the wake of City's 2-1 victory over Swansea City last Sunday, and reports from inside the City camp throughout this term have suggested that Guardiola does not see Aguero as a long-term prospect for the style of football he is implementing at the club.
Aguero currently sits third in City's all-time leading goalscoring charts with 154 goals in 234 appearances.
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