Dazzling £50m Man City signing to push out another young star Pep Guardiola adores
Omar Marmoush and James McAtee, Man City
Man City hope to bring in Omar Marmoush
Manchester City are pursuing the capture of Eintracht Frankfurt ace Omar Marmoush, though it could see talented youngster James McAtee leave the Etihad, according to a report.
Marmoush has been in stunning form this season, having notched 18 goals and 12 assists in 24 appearances for Frankfurt across all competitions. The centre-forward’s tally of 13 strikes in 15 Bundesliga matches is bettered only by Bayern Munich star and England captain Harry Kane.
Marmoush has spearheaded Frankfurt’s push for Champions League qualification, as they sit third in the Bundesliga. Although, he might not stay at the club to see out the full campaign.
Man City have identified the in-form star as someone who can help Erling Haaland out following Julian Alvarez’s departure over the summer. Indeed, TEAMtalk revealed on Tuesday that Pep Guardiola’s side have made an enquiry over his availability.
According to The Guardian, City are ‘targeting’ Marmoush as they look to move on from their poor form over the last few months.
A separate report from the Daily Mail states that City are progressing in talks with Frankfurt and are edging closer to striking a £50million (€60.2m / $62m) deal.
The Guardian add, though, that Marmoush’s arrival at the Etihad could force academy graduate McAtee out.
The attacking midfielder has played 10 times for City this season but is ‘keen for more opportunities’. He knows that if City sign Marmoush then he will fall further down the pecking order in attack.
Fulham are thought to be the frontrunners for McAtee at this stage, as they are hoping to sign him on an initial loan this month.
West Ham United and Ipswich Town would also love to add the 22-year-old to their ranks as he is viewed as one of the best young English players around. Chelsea were linked last summer, but it remains to be seen whether they will reignite their interest.
McAtee is valued at around the £20m (€24m / $24.8m) mark by City. His sale would go down as pure profit on the club’s books, helping them to fund more new signings.
Guardiola would be sad to see the playmaker leave though. After McAtee netted his first Champions League goal against Slovan Bratislava in October, the manager said: “Everyone adores him. You saw the reaction of the players, so everyone loves him.
“With teams who play so deep he has the quality to find it. He scored and had a few more chances.
“Of course he will not be a regular player but in a lot of games he will help us and when he plays like he did today I can always count on him.”
Man City transfers: Real Madrid raid predicted
Meanwhile, City will be on alert after Real Madrid were credited with interest in their defender Josko Gvardiol.
Reports in the Spanish media claim Madrid president Florentino Perez would love to bolster the side’s defence with Gvardiol’s signing in the summer.
But it will be tough to prise the 22-year-old away from City. They spent a huge £78m (€93.7m / $96.6m) to sign Gvardiol in August 2023, while his contract runs until June 2028.
Madrid may have to focus on one of their other centre-back targets such as Castello Lukeba of RB Leipzig.
How does Marmoush compare with Haaland?
Marmoush v Haaland this season: Appearances 21 v 27, Goals 18 v 21, Assists 12 v 1, Minutes per goal 105 v 114
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Abdukodir Khusanov tackles Nuno Mendes
Manchester City are looking to address the shortcomings in their squad during the January transfer window as they begin to recover from their worst losing streak since 2006. The reigning Premier League champions are reportedly close to adding a new quality young player to their squad in Abdukodir Khusanov.
Manchester City Close to Sealing Abdukodir Khusanov Transfer
Khusanov Gives Approval For Big Move
Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Cityzens are closing in on the signing of the 20-year-old centre-back from Ligue 1 side RC Lens. He adds that “Pep Guardiola has given his green light” for the deal and wants to add the young talent to his squad.
The journalist also states that Khusanov is the Premier League giants’ main centre-back target for the January window and that they are now on the final stages of negotiations with Lens before reaching total agreement. It’s also claimed that Khusanov has agreed personal terms with Guardiola’s side as he personally wants the move.
Romano has also revealed that Manchester City started working on this transfer before the end of 2024 itself, and that his ‘here we go’ to confirm the deal is coming soon. It has also been reported that the Premier League side will be paying a whopping £41.8 million fee to get this deal done.
What Can Khusanov Bring to Manchester City?
The 20-year-old defender has been impressive with his performances in Ligue 1 for Lens and has put in a string of impressive performances for them in the 2024/25 season; Khusanov has helped them keep seven clean sheets in 13 league games, something that likely caught the Cityzens’ attention.
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Khusanov also has 18 caps for the Uzbekistan national team at the age of 20 and is already a strong and intimidating defender. Lens head coach Will Still had big praise for him last year, stating: “He’s calm, powerful, he’s fast… He doesn’t talk but he’s good. When I arrived and it looked like Danso was leaving, Jean-Louis Leca [Lens’ sporting director] told me: ‘Don’t worry, Kodir is here and he’s ready.’ He wasn’t wrong. He has very, very impressive potential.”
The 20-year-old could be Manchester City’s first signing of the January window, and Guardiola will hope the highly-rated centre-back can help add more steel and assurance to his backline.
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