EPL 2011 Transfers: Manchester City to sign up Sergio Aguero

Manchester City are set to sign the Argentinean Sergio Aguero from Atletico Madrid by the end of today. Aguero confirmed that the deal is very close to completion. He has travelled to Manchester to complete the final formalities from Argentina, where he was on holiday.

The move will cost Manchester City £38 million and it will make him City’s most expensive buy thus far. He is set to replace another Argentinean, Carlos Tevez, in the City lineup. Tevez has been looking for a move away from the Eastlands club for the last three months, but has not found a suitor due to his exorbitant salary and City’s asking price.

Aguero will become City’s third signing this summer after the purchases of Arsenal’s Gael Clichy and Stefan Savic from Partizan Belgrade. He will be the sixth striker in the books with Craig Bellamy, Emmanuel Adebayor, Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli. However, Bellamy and Adebayor are sure to go out on loan spells.

The signing comes in answer to Roberto Mancini’s frustration about the club’s reluctance to spend big in the transfer window. He had also voiced his opinion on City’s challenge to the Premier League title will be hampered if the best players are not brought in. The signing also shows that City have not given much thought about UEFA’s new financial fair play guidelines.

The club will not stop here by the look of things. They are still courting Samir Nasri and are trying to make Arsenal sell the player, who is on the final year of his contract. If Nasri too comes in, there will be a real fight for places.

The signing will also provide a tactical headache to Roberto Mancini. He is a big fan of playing with two defensive midfielders and there will be place only for two forwards and two attacking midfielders. Yaya Toure and David Silva have already blended in and have had excellent seasons. Adam Johnson and James Milner are also in the squad and are better suited for the English game.

Aguero will be under a lot of pressure. Two big money signings in the last year, City’s Dzeko and Chelsea’s Fernando Torres, are yet to live up to their hefty price tags and Aguero has the additional burden of moving to a fast paced league from a relatively slow one. However, he will receive plenty of chances to impress and is likely to come good eventually.