Manchester City expect bidding war for Sergio Aguero this summer but his near-world record fee could put off Real Madrid

MANCHESTER CITY expect a bidding war for Sergio Aguero this summer – but his near-world record fee could put off even Real Madrid.

A host of top European clubs are poised to dig deep into their pockets to land the Argentina striker when the season ends.

Getty Images

Getty Images

Especially as his place as first-choice frontman for boss Pep Guardiola has come under threat since the arrival of Gabriel Jesus.

But with the Brazilian injured Aguero has returned to the frontline and once again shown admirers in the market what he is capable of.

City are adamant they do not want to flog Aguero – their leading scorer this season – but should the double Premier League winner think otherwise then Etihad bosses can name their price.

Getty Images

And one club who may want to stump up the cash is Real Madrid.

However, Aguero is thought to able to command a fee more than the £85.3million Los Blancos paid for Gareth Bale in 2013, then a world record, say the Manchester Evening News.

And there is a belief in the Etihad that Aguero’s final figure could even approach the £89m rivals Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba in the summer.

Reuters

Aguero signed a new deal last month that keeps him at the club until 2020, so City hold all the cards in a potential deal.

And Guardiola has said: "He is an important player for us. He was in the past when he played regularly and then there were two or three games when he didn't play and he was still important.

"He will continue to be important."