Man City tipped to swoop for Danny Ings as Sergio Aguero replacement
Last Updated: March 22, 2021 7:42 pm
Speculation stemming from the English media on Monday has pointed towards Danny Ings as a potential replacement for Sergio Aguero at Manchester City.
Etihad exit incoming?
Argentine international Aguero has of course endured a testing campaign to date.
Amid a host of fitness issues, the veteran hitman has been restricted to just a handful of Premier League starts.
The latest of these came last weekend, when Aguero was utilised from the off, alongside Gabriel Jesus, in a meeting with Fulham at Craven Cottage.
And the 32-year-old went on to take full advantage of the rare recent opportunity afforded to him, netting from the penalty spot on the hour mark, to bring an end to a lengthy wait for a league goal:
Aguero… Scores! ⚽
His first goal in 14 months in the Premier League 🔙
3 goals in 13 minutes! Just Man City things 😅🔥 pic.twitter.com/ISmUZ3iPrG
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 13, 2021
Whilst Aguero’s readiness to contribute was made evident versus the Cottagers, however, it must be noted that City, in his absence, have not exactly struggled this season.
The Sky Blues are still going strong across no less than four competitions, and look primed to wrestle back the Premier League title from Liverpool over the weeks ahead.
This comes with the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and the aforementioned Jesus having all stepped up in front of goal, in Aguero’s absence.
As such, mounting speculation that the Argentine could be allowed to depart the Etihad in the summer hasn’t come as too much of a surprise.
Aguero’s current terms in Manchester are set to expire come the campaign’s end, with little word having been forthcoming regarding the possibility of a new deal.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MARCH 12: Sergio Aguero of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester City v FC Schalke 04 at Etihad Stadium on March 12, 2019 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Ings eyed
If, in the end, Aguero does indeed bring an end to his trophy-laden spell in Manchester, reinforcements will therefore be required.
And, on Monday, an insight into City’s search for a potential replacement for the former Atletico Madrid man has been forthcoming.
As per a report from Sky Sports News, Pep Guardiola and co. have essentially looked into the situations of ‘all of the world’s top centre-forwards’.
From this list, Erling Haaland is unsurprisingly viewed as the ideal addition. However, the Sky Blues are aware that they would face stiff competition for the Norwegian sensation, with Borussia Dortmund also likely to demand a premium sum for their prized asset.
COLOGNE, GERMANY – MARCH 20: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) head coach Edin Terzic of Borussia Dortmund and Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund looks dejected during the Bundesliga match between 1. FC Koeln and Borussia Dortmund at RheinEnergieStadion on March 20, 2021 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
In turn, City have also turned their attentions towards more affordable targets.
And one such option to have come to the fore of late, according to Sky, is Danny Ings.
Southampton man Ings is held in high regard at the Etihad, with the uncertainty surrounding his contract situation (Ings’ current terms are due to expire in 2022) only adding to City’s intrigue.
In turn, if the Premier League champions-in-waiting do opt for a more budget addition up top in the summer, an offer could well be forthcoming for the Saints’ star man.
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This article was edited by Josh Barker.
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| 2 | Manchester United FC | 31 | 27 | 63 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 31 | 18 | 56 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 31 | 12 | 55 |
| 5 | Chelsea FC | 31 | 19 | 54 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 31 | 16 | 52 |
| 7 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 31 | 17 | 49 |
| 8 | Everton FC | 30 | 3 | 48 |
| 9 | Arsenal FC | 31 | 8 | 45 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 31 | 0 | 45 |
| 11 | Aston Villa FC | 30 | 10 | 44 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 31 | -10 | 38 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 31 | -19 | 38 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 31 | -17 | 36 |
| 15 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 31 | -5 | 33 |
| 16 | Burnley FC | 31 | -17 | 33 |
| 17 | Newcastle United FC | 31 | -19 | 32 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 32 | -18 | 26 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 31 | -31 | 24 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 31 | -38 | 14 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 19 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 19 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 16 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 14 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 14 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 14 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 12 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 9 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 9 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 8 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 9 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 8 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 0 | 7 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 6 |
| Phillips, Kalvin | Leeds United | 0 | 7 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Targett, Matt | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 7 |
| Holgate, Mason | Everton FC | 0 | 7 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 11 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 9 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 7 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 7 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 6 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 6 |
| Pereira, Matheus | West Bromwich Albion | 6 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 6 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 6 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Neto, Pedro | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 6 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
