Manchester City signs Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush for $73 million as spending continues to revive troubled season

Manchester City signs Omar Marmoush for $73 million, aiming to boost their season after Champions League loss.

Reeling from a damaging loss in the Champions League, Manchester City took its spending this week to around $150 million by signing Egypt forward Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday (January 23, 2025) in a move that provides some belated back-up to star striker Erling Haaland.

The 25-year-old Marmoush joined City for a reported 70 million euros ($73 million), following the arrivals of young defenders Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens and Vitor Reis from Palmeiras for a combined $77 million.

City will hope the new signings can ignite its season, which was thrown back into turmoil when the team collapsed to a 4-2 loss at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday to plunge to the brink of elimination with one game left in the revamped first stage.

Marmoush is second to Bayern Munich's Harry Kane in the list of top scorers in the German league this season, with 15 goals from 17 games for Frankfurt. He was not in the squad for the 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund amid negotiations with City, and went on the field after the game for an apparent farewell in front of Frankfurt's fans.

The move to City caps a rapid rise to stardom for Marmoush, who signed from Frankfurt on a free transfer in 2023 from Wolfsburg, where he’d only scored five goals the season before.

It’s not yet clear how Marmoush would fit into Pep Guardiola’s tactics. His best performances this season have come as part of a two-striker formation alongside former Paris Saint-Germain forward Hugo Ekitiké, but Guardiola prefers a lone striker in Haaland.

Marmoush can play in wide roles and has generally done so for Egypt's national team, but less successfully than in a central role. He has six goals and three assists in 35 games for his country.