Blues insiders feel star striker only on the bench for Barcelona loss will go in the summer, while skipper and centre-half was fit but not in the matchday squad
Sergio Aguero is set to be the next high-profile casualty of Pep Guardiola’s ruthless
Manchester City revolution, writes David McDonnell in Barcelona .
There is believed to be tension between the pair and
fan hero Aguero , whose stoppage-time goal in the last match of the season made the Blues champions back in 2012, faces an uncertain future.
He was left out of the starting line-up for
the 4-0 Champions League defeat at Barcelona and only came on late when the game was already lost.
Aguero has scored 11 times in 10 appearances this season, but Guardiola has repeatedly asked for more from the player since taking over in the summer.
While on international duty this month the forward said he is getting used to Guardiola’s demands, but claimed the City boss
is “picky about everything ”.
Guardiola claimed
the decision to leave out Aguero was a tactical one, to allow him to play an extra midfielder to try to nullify Barca’s famed passing game. But the move failed as City slumped to a humiliating loss.
While the manager insisted Aguero accepted his demotion to the bench with good grace, some at the club are convinced the 28-year-old, signed from Atletico Madrid for £38million in 2011, will be on his way at the end of the season.
Although Aguero is said to have agreed a one-year extension to his current contract with City months ago, no formal announcement has been made.
City will welcome £27million Brazil international striker Gabriel Jesus into the fold in January, with the young Palmeiras sensation set to rival the previously untouchable Aguero for his place.
And with the Blues still tracking Borussia Dortmund frontman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and monitoring France forward Antoine Griezmann’s situation at Atletico Madrid, the Argentine’s days could be numbered.
City skipper Vincent Kompany is also facing the prospect of being offloaded next summer, after being left out of Guardiola’s 18-man matchday squad to face Barca.
Defender Kompany, who has been blighted by injuries in recent seasons, was said to be fully fit and travelled to Catalonia but Guardiola chose not to involve the experienced 30-year-old.
City's England first-choice keeper Joe Hart is now on loan at Torino after failing to impress Guardiola, France midfielder Samir Nasri is on loan at Sevilla.
Former talisman Yaya Toure is still at the Etihad but has been effectively exiled, making his sole appearance so far this season back in August.
