Report: Manchester City will not allow Aguero to leave in summer

With each deft flick or effort on goal by Gabriel Jesus, the camera pans to a benched Sergio Aguero.

Manchester City's Argentinian ace has been named among the substitutes for two league matches in a row, prompting calls that he'll leave the Etihad Campus in the summer. Aguero has, however, stated a desire to remain with the club - "I want to stay," he said after Sunday's 2-1 defeat of Swansea City - and try to win his place back in Pep Guardiola's lineup.

But reports of City sanctioning an exit are false, according to the Guardian's Jamie Jackson, with senior club officials unequivocally stating Aguero "would not be allowed to leave."

Questions surrounding Aguero's future at City under Guardiola arose in October, BBC Sport's Simon Stone recalls, when the iconic striker was benched for a Champions League group-stage showpiece against Barcelona.

On that occasion, Kevin De Bruyne led the forward line in a humbling 4-0 defeat in Spain, but the last two Premier League matches have seen Aguero crowded out by Jesus, the 19-year-old January arrival acquired for £27 million from Brazil's Palmeiras.

Jesus, a relentless presser who's prepared to drop deep to help his team win possession, has scored three and assisted two goals in three competitive starts.

"We cannot forget he is only 19 and he has only played a total of two games and nine minutes," Guardiola told the Guardian's Paul Wilson of Jesus before the Swansea win. "But we always knew he was physically strong, he's a fighter.

"Brazilian football is physical. People talk about the technical skills but I played with many Brazilians at Barcelona and I have managed many more and their biggest quality is how strong they are. Fernandinho and Fernando at this club are good examples of that. They are both amazingly strong."

If Guardiola was to allow Aguero to leave his ranks, it would likely prove to be the second predominantly unpopular decision among the City support after Joe Hart was ditched from first-team duties and then allowed to leave on loan in the summer. Aguero only joined City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 but is third on the club's all-time scoring list with 154, and famously bagged the late, title-clinching strike against Queens Park Rangers in 2012.

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"I am fine. It is normal. Sometimes this happens. When you're on the bench, you have to wait for your opportunity," Aguero added on his predicament.

"I have to help the team as much as I can in these three months. Afterwards we'll see what the club wants to do with me."

Manchester City next faces an off-colour Bournemouth at Dean Court on Feb. 13, with a trip to the Championship's in-form gegenpresser Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup fifth round looming the following weekend.