Manchester United have been encouraged to pursue Sergio Aguero if he intends to leave Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season.

According to The Metro, former England midfielder Paul Ince believes there’s no reason why United shouldn’t try to tempt Aguero to cross the Manchester divide this summer.

‘Sergio Aguero might be leaving Man City, why shouldn’t United make a move for him?’ asked Ince, who made more than 200 appearances for the Red Devils, winning two league titles and two FA Cups.

‘You could see it now – if he wanted to stay in the Premier League and he’s living in Manchester, then I don’t think it would be a bad thing at all if they went and got Aguero.

‘It can happen, who knows? You’ve got to ask the question if you’re United because you never know.’

Ince compared the situation to the moment of serendipity that resulted in Eric Cantona arriving at Old Trafford to turn Man United into the pre-eminent force in English football.

Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson had phoned Alex Ferguson to enquire about the availability of Denis Irwin, but ended up negotiating a fee for Cantona’s sale instead.

There are also parallels to Carlos Tevez’s controversial switch to the Etihad in 2009, which culminated in Man City winning their first major trophies of the Sheikh Mansour era.

Tevez’s signing was a statement of intent by the new owners, signalling a power shift at the top of the Premier League.

Whether Aguero, City’s all-time leading scorer, would be open to such a move, having firmly embedded himself in club folklore over the past 10 years, remains to be seen.

Aguero has previously been linked with moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, where he could link up with close friend and international teammate Lionel Messi.