*Undated
Sergio Aguero will reportedly announce his retirement from professional football on Wednesday.
The Argentina international has not played for Barcelona since the end of October, having been substituted against Alaves in La Liga after experiencing chest pains and difficulty breathing.
Aguero was initially expected to spend three months on the sidelines, being closely monitored by medical professionals, before a decision on his future was made.
However, according to journalist Emilio Perez de Rozas, there will be an announcement on Wednesday December 15th confirming that the striker has retired due to his heart problems.
"There is a ceremony on Wednesday wherein Aguero will announce that he's retiring from football," De Rozas said. "It seems that it was decided a few weeks ago, as the journalist Gerard Romero had said. But Rafa Yuste (Barcelona vice-president) denied it and said there were still a couple of months left before doctors would decide. But, according to my information, Barcelona has prepared his farewell."
Aguero was allegedly diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat after undergoing tests in the aftermath of his withdrawal against Alaves on October 30th. The 33-year-old has scored once in five appearances for Barcelona since his arrival. Aguero finishes his career with 427 goals in 786 games.
While Aguero's time at Barcelona has not gone to plan, there can be no doubting his status as one of the foremost strikers of the 21st Century.
After starting out with Independiente in Argentina, he moved to Atletico Madrid, winning the Europa League in 2010 and scoring 101 goals in 234 appearances.
That record attracted the interest of an upwardly mobile Manchester City, who paid a reported £38m to bring him to Etihad Stadium. He would go on to become a club and Premier League legend during a 10-year spell in England.
Aguero left City in the summer having broken their all-time scoring record, with 260 goals in 390 games, including 16 hat-tricks. He is the highest-scoring overseas player in Premier League history with 184 goals, nine more than France and Arsenal great Thierry Henry.
Only Alan Shearer (260), Wayne Rooney (208) and Andrew Cole (187) have scored more in the competition. He would go on to win five Premier League titles, one FA Cup and six League Cups during his time in England.