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.”