Football news : Sergio Aguero is one of the Premier League's best strikers but his face doesn't fit with Pep Guardiola... could he leave Manchester City for Chelsea?

The curious case of Sergio Aguero has been rumbling ever since Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City and the intrigue is only heightened during these weeks of trading.

Will he go? Will he stay? If he stays, will he play? If he goes, to where? City remain adamant Aguero will not be sold amid news Chelsea made enquiries as Romelu Lukaku’s decision to join Manchester United became clear.

But the suspicion that Aguero may yet depart the Etihad lingers on due to Guardiola’s pursuit of Alexis Sanchez. Arsenal may refuse to sell to City, of course, but it is a path well trodden and should the Chilean join the roster of diminutive stars at Guardiola’s dispense then Aguero would be within his rights to consider his future.

It could yet be that Guardiola configures some brilliantly nihilistic formation that includes all his flair players but it is tough to see how Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Bernardo Silva fit together.

So if Aguero is not for sale, it strikes as odd any overtures might be made for Sanchez. Having both would surely be too bloated an attack even for a manager as focused on goals as Guardiola. In that case, Aguero would seem the inevitable fall guy.

And what a strange outcome that would be. This is one of the Premier League’s greatest ever strikers. The undisputed best by minutes per goal. He has scored 122 at a rate of one every 109.8 minutes. Harry Kane is next best on 78 goals at one every 116.88 minutes. Thierry Henry got 175 goals at a rate of 121.79 minutes per strike. Sanchez doesn’t make the top 10.

aguero can find the net from all angles, has notched 23, 12, 17, 26, 24, 20 in each of his six seasons, and will forever be the man who brought City their first Premier League title in that unforgettable fashion.

But last season he lost his place to a 20-year-old Brazilian untried in England. Jesus stormed onto these shores to justify Guardiola’s selection, before succumbing to injury only to return with just the same explosive impact. He scored seven goals in 10 Premier League games at a rate of one every 92.86 minutes, bettering Aguero’s ratio.

He ran, harried and hustled more than Aguero, who did react but does not seem naturally suited to covering great distances at high speed in the style his manager would want. Sanchez, on the other hand, seems allergic to standing still.

At 28, he still chases the ball like a kid and can do beautiful things when he has it. On that basis, why wouldn’t Guardiola be interested? He took Sanchez to Barcelona in 2011 and though their only season together could not be described as perfect there was evidently a good deal of warmth between the pair

Dynamism fuels their football philosophies and whereas at Barcelona Guardiola could not quite hit on Sanchez’s best position the Spaniard has seen at Arsenal how he can lead the line on his own.

All of which means the Aguero question persists. Passing up the guarantee of goals he provides seems of form of self-flagellation but if that meant the introduction of Sanchez, Guardiola would go for it in the belief his team would work in greater unison overall.

Arsene Wenger and Arsenal have a major say in all this of course, and may decide to keep Sanchez even if he doesn’t sign a new contract but the noises on a departure remain loud.

Chelsea’s interest in Aguero raises a fascinating prospect and it is easy to see how the 29-year-old would slot into Antonio Conte’s system.

Aguero scored 20 goals last season but in 600 fewer minutes than Chelsea's Diego Costa

He would provide a lethal focal point to put away the chances created by Eden Hazard or Pedro, ironically the player who in part kept out Sanchez during Barca’s 2011-12 season.

United’s late swoop for Lukaku has thrown Chelsea’s plans and given there is no route back for Diego Costa, Conte is in desperate need for an elite striker. Aguero would represent as solid a purchase as any in Europe. Like Costa, Aguero got 20 goals last season but in 600 fewer minutes.

Whatever the unpredictability right now, that much is certain. Aguero guarantees goals.