SOCCER:AS ONE who coped with comparisons with Diego Maradona before he had even left school, Sergio Aguero is unlikely to be daunted by the prospect of filling Carlos Tevez's boots at Manchester City if the world's richest club replace one mercurial Argentinian with another.

Tevez, scorer of 53 goals in 86 appearances during his two years at Eastlands, has been many things at Manchester City but Maradona – Aguero’s father-in-law – he was not.

Aguero’s marriage to Giannina, Maradona’s youngest daughter, is an intriguing sub-plot to the story surrounding “El Kun”, the prodigiously talented Atletico Madrid forward at the centre of a tug-of-war between Europe’s leading clubs.

Juventus, Chelsea and Real Madrid are among those competing for the 23-year-old’s signature, a player whose knack of producing goals out of nothing has led managers and former players to draw parallels with another South American, Romario.

Manchester City supporters will be relieved to hear Pep Guardiola, the Barcelona coach, and Jorge Valdano, the former Argentina World Cup winner and erstwhile Real Madrid sporting director, have both likened Aguero, who has a €46 million buyout clause in his contract, to the gifted but troubled Brazilian for all the right reasons.

“Aguero has something of Romario, a capacity to create in the most difficult circumstances,” Valdano says. “He has no fear.”

Some may say the same about Tevez but those who have watched the two players develop see differences.

“Aguero’s a wonderful player, only 23, and with a lot of potential,” says Ossie Ardiles, the former Argentina World Cup winner. “If you compare him with Tevez, I would say he is more of a proper striker, a traditional centre-forward. He is very skilful, strong, two-footed and he has the number one thing that all top frontmen have, and that is an ability to make scoring look very easy.”

That trait became apparent early on and led to Aguero making history when he broke Maradona’s record by becoming the youngest player to appear in Argentina’s Primera division, when he made his debut for Independiente aged 15 years and 35 days.

A little under three years later and Aguero, or Kun as he is known to his friends because of his resemblance to a Japanese cartoon character he loved to watch as a child, was on his way to Atletico in a deal worth about €20 million.

It was a big move for a teenager and Aguero found life difficult at times in his first year in Madrid but he quickly adapted in his second season, after Fernando Torres had departed for Liverpool.

He finished the 2007-08 campaign as La Liga’s third-highest goalscorer and produced a sensational individual performance when he upstaged his close friend and countryman, Lionel Messi, with two goals and two assists in a 4-2 victory over Barcelona that showcased his talent.

His low centre of gravity – at 5ft 7in he is one inch shorter than Tevez – enables him to twist and turn quickly, driving away from opponents in confined spaces with his explosive pace.

He also has the ability to beat defenders with embarrassing ease, his dexterous footwork enabling him to manoeuvre the ball quickly before dropping his shoulder to create a yard of space when there appeared to be none.

And then there is the composed, clinical finishing that has delivered 102 goals in five seasons in Madrid.

Although unlikely to work as assiduously as Tevez on the field, all the indications are that Aguero will not prove to be anything like such hard work off it.

“The point is that Aguero wants to play in England,” Ardiles says.

“Carlos was not happy with the situation in England and being away from his family. But Aguero has been in Spain for a few years now.

“He left Argentina when he was very young and he has been in Madrid for five seasons so he is already acclimatised to European football. This is a big difference with Carlos.”

Madrid to Manchester is also a big difference, although Aguero is likely to make a better fist of learning English than Tevez. Ardiles also believes he would relish the chance to play with better players.

“I think he will adapt quite quickly,” he says. “At Atletico Madrid he has been a little down because of the lack of improvement with the team so I think he will fancy a move to a club where he can win honours.

“And I think a club like City will give him the platform to get better and better.”

If Aguero does sign, it will be intriguing to see how Roberto Mancini uses him.

In the City manager’s favoured 4-2-3-1 system, he seems more likely to be deployed as the focal point rather than stationed in a deeper-lying role, behind Mario Balotelli or Edin Dzeko.

Either way, Ardiles anticipates he will have a major impact.

“I think this is the right time for him to move and if he comes to England, I think he will be a great, great success,” he says.

“He is very sharp, quick around the box, give him one yard and, with his pace, he will put the ball in the back of the net.”

Manchester City last night reacted with bemusement and frustration after Corinthians accused the Premier League club of moving the goalposts over Carlos Tevez. In the latest twist to the saga, the Brazilian club claimed Roberto Mancini, the City manager, had jumped the gun by saying a deal was in place. Andres Sanchez, the Corinthians president, said their offer for Tevez had not been accepted and accused City of changing the transfer fee, which is believed to be a touch over €46 million, and the structure of the payments. Guardian Service