Manchester City have reportedly held preliminary talks over the signing of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush but will face two stumbling blocks in their pursuit of the Egypt international.
The Citizens did not directly replace Atletico Madrid-bound Julian Alvarez over the summer, meaning that Erling Haaland has been forced to shoulder the centre-forward burden by himself in 2024-25.
The Norway international has struggled to produce his best form with no backup option to take the weight off his shoulders, and he currently sits two strikes behind Mohamed Salah in the race for the Premier League's Golden Boot.
However, Haaland has still never gone three games without scoring a Premier League goal and boasts three efforts from his last two games, netting once against Leicester City before bagging a brace in the 4-1 thrashing of West Ham United at the weekend.
Pep Guardiola has had little choice but to start Haaland in every Premier League and Champions League match, though, and City will be bereft of senior central attacking options should the Scandinavian suffer an injury.
Man City hold 'preliminary talks' with Marmoush agents
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As a result, a new face in the final third is apparently being sought by City chiefs this month, and according to Football Insider, the Premier League champions have now stepped up their efforts to capture Marmoush from Frankfurt.
The 25-year-old has been in scintillating form for Die Adler this season with 30 direct goal contributions in just 24 appearances across all competitions, 18 of his own and 12 assists.
Marmoush's total of 13 Bundesliga goals is just one fewer than current top scorer Harry Kane, and the report claims that Man City have now held preliminary discussions with the striker's entourage.
However, Frankfurt will demand a premium fee to sell Marmoush in January, as the Egyptian still has two-and-a-half years left to run on his contract, and they remain determined to keep hold of him for the remainder of the season.
Furthermore, if Die Adler do relent and allow Marmoush to move to Premier League, they reportedly want to secure a replacement for the 1999-born attacker before giving the green light to his exit.
Man City could also face intense competition from Arsenal to sign Marmoush, who has amassed 35 goals and 18 assists in 65 matches for Frankfurt since joining on a free transfer from Wolfsburg in 2023.
What other targets are City pursuing this month?
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Back-to-back wins over Leicester and West Ham suggest that Man City have kickstarted a second-half-of-season revival, albeit one that will surely not be enough to overhaul leaders Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.
Guardiola has not been helped by a spate of injuries all season long, and he is apparently looking to address City's concerns at the back with a move for talented Lens and Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov, also on the radar of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.
Elsewhere in the rearguard, Nottingham Forest's Ola Aina is said to have emerged as a possible successor to Kyle Walker, but the Citizens were recently dealt a blow in their pursuit of the Nigerian.
As Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is also still a few months away from returning from an ACL injury, the likes of Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, Atalanta BC's Ederson and Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes have been mentioned as midfield targets, but moves for any of the three in January will be difficult to pull off.
Ben Knapton
