Sergio Aguero Rejects Barcelona by Committing to Manchester City

Barcelona have suffered a setback in their pursuit of signing Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero after the player insisted he has no intention of leaving the Etihad Stadium this summer after their Premier League title triumph.

The Argentine - who signed a new contract with City last year committing his future to the club until 2017 - has become a crucial player at the Etihad Stadium – and scored 17 goals in just 23 Premier League starts this term amid serveral injury concerns.

According to the Mirror, the 25-year-old has refuted claims of a move away from Manchester as he is happy at the club.

"I am so happy," said Aguero. "It was an amazing moment to win another title. I will be back next year even stronger to win more trophies."

The forward has been heavily linked with a move to the Camp Nou after recent reports in Spain claimed that Lionel Messi had asked Barca officials to bolster the squad with his friend Sergio Aguero before signing a new deal at the Camp Nou. The pair won the Under-20 World Cup in 2005 and the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games while this summer they are set to lead Argentina at the World Cup.

However, Messi - who has been in negotiations over a new contract with the Catalan's officials for the last nine months - has claimed that a "lot of nonsense" has been said about Aguero.

Last week, Catalan based newspaper Sport revealed that the Premier League giants will consider a £57.5m summer sale of Aguero, but Messi has suggested that he has nothing to do with such rumours.

"A lot of things have come out in the press over the past year, and practically all of it is nothing but lies. I am fine," Messi was quoted as saying by Marca.

Meanwhile, Father Jorge Messi says he recently met with Barcelona's chiefs to discuss figures but denied having made any demands regarding the club's transfer policy.

"Firstly, the meeting focused more on broader contractual matters than exact figures. I cannot combine an improved contract for my son with demands to sign a player or offer another a new deal," he said.