Here’s the thing about everything that’s going on at Barcelona right now: It is undoubtedly going to get worse (perhaps much worse) before it gets better (even a little bit), as evidenced by multiple reports that Sergio Aguero now wants to leave in the wake of Lionel Messi’s unexpected departure.
UPDATE: To make matters worse for Aguero, Barcelona and just about everyone else, the Argentine striker has now suffered a calf injury which will keep him out for several months.
“Tests carried out on first team player Kun Aguero have confirmed a right calf injury. He will be out around ten weeks,” Barcelona said in a statement.
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Aguero only just arrived at Barcelona a few days ago, yet he now wishes to leave the club and has instructed his lawyers to examine his contract to determine the legalities of doing so. Aguero signed a two-year contract as a free agent this summer after 10 legendary seasons at Manchester City.
It was widely reported that much of the draw for Aguero to join Barcelona was the opportunity to play with Messi, a dear friend of at least 15 years, under assurances that the Barca legend would be staying at the club. This point further illustrates that Messi and Barcelona truly had worked through all of their differences and everyone involved believed with absolute certainty that… a miracle would occur and La Liga would turn their heads while Barcelona president Joan Laporta scribbles Messi’s name on a piece of paper behind La Liga president Javier Tebas’s bat.
In short, the individuals presently running Barcelona remain in denial over the severity of the challenge they face.
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There are also potential questions over the validity of Aguero’s contract, given that Barcelona are not currently able to register him or either of their other free signings this window, Memphis Depay and Eric Garcia. Barcelona’s finances are not currently within the salary cap limits set forth by La Liga, therefore no new players can be added until the club’s total wage bill is under the limit.
A number of senior figures — Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto — previously agreed up to 50-percent wage reductions to help the club reduce its astronomical wage bill, but even still the problem persists. Messi had also agreed to halve his wages at the start of the new contract he recently agree with Barcelona.