BARCA TARGET MARMOUSH: MANCHESTER CITY STAR EMERGES AS TOP ALTERNATIVE FOR CATALAN GIANTS
Striker hunt: Discover why Barcelona are eyeing Omar Marmoush as a cut-price alternative to Atletico's €200m Julián Alvarez.
Barcelona are eyeing Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush as they look to bring in a new striker this summer.
Sport says Barcelona have already nailed down their main targets for next season, and a new No. 9 tops the list. The problem? The market’s thin, prices are crazy, and the big names cost a fortune.
Julián Alvarez is the dream signing, but Atlético Madrid wants about €150m (£130m). That’s way out of reach. So, Barca are already weighing other options, and Marmoush is high on their list of names they like.
Here’s why Marmoush’s situation at City makes things interesting. City bought him from Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2025 for €75m (£65m). Pep Guardiola had tracked him for a while; Marmoush was tearing it up in the Bundesliga, and even then, Barcelona’s scouts were watching him too. They think he’d fit right into Hansi Flick’s style, with his speed and link-up play.
But things haven’t clicked for him at City. Erling Haaland is locked in as the main striker, so Marmoush has mostly been on the bench or pushed out wide. He’s shown flashes when he’s come on, but the minutes just haven’t been there. Missing a month for the Africa Cup of Nations didn’t help either, so his stats look pretty average.
Rumours about a possible exit started back in January. Marmoush wants more game time and a bigger role, something Barcelona can offer. Still, they’re not the only ones watching. Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Galatasaray are all interested, which makes his future even more up in the air.
So, is Marmoush’s time at City almost up? Barcelona are in a good spot if Marmoush decides to leave this summer. He’s not their top choice, but if the Alvarez deal falls apart, they could pivot fast.
For City, it all comes down to price. Marmoush cost them €75m (£65m) not long ago, but reports say he could go for less if Guardiola gives the green light. Selling him at a discount would be a big statement; it would basically say he’s not in their plans behind Haaland.
Right now, there’s no official offer. Barcelona are keeping a close eye on things, and a lot depends on whether Marmoush asks for a move after the season wraps up. If he does, City will have to fend off competition from England and Turkey to get the deal done.
HAALAND WATCH: ERLING HAALAND FACES A LATE FITNESS TEST BEFORE NOTTINGHAM FOREST CLASH
Erling Haaland is "feeling better!" Read Pep Guardiola’s injury update, the Forest lineup news, and the Real Madrid prep here.
Erling Haaland is feeling a lot better now, but he still needs to get checked after Manchester City’s training on Tuesday before they decide if he can face Nottingham Forest. He missed the Leeds game because he picked up a small knock in training last Thursday, and right after that match, Pep Guardiola didn’t have any updates on Haaland’s fitness.
Even though Haaland’s still not a sure thing for the Forest game, City are pretty hopeful he’ll be back after getting the weekend off. The same goes for Nico O’Reilly. He limped off with an ankle issue during the 1-0 win over Leeds, but he managed to join the recovery session on Sunday.
“Erling feels much better, but we didn’t train yesterday. We’ll see how he is in training today and then make a call,” Guardiola said at his Tuesday press conference.
The city handled things well without Haaland up front. Antoine Semenyo got the only goal, playing alongside Omar Marmoush. Guardiola didn’t seem too stressed before kickoff, either. “He had some problems and a little injury two days ago in training. Nothing serious, but he wasn’t ready today,” Pep said at Elland Road.
Other than that, City’s injury list isn’t too worrying as they keep chasing trophies. Jeremy Doku was back in the squad at Leeds for the first time since his injury, and Savinho came on in the second half, his first appearance since New Year’s Day.
Right now, only Mateo Kovačić and Josko Gvardiol are still out, but Guardiola’s positive about Kovačić since he’s started training again.
“It’s March, and we’re still in all the competitions. That’s special,” Guardiola said. “Last season, we were already out of the Champions League and FA Cup at this point. Now, it’s Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday, then two games with Real Madrid. Win, and you keep going; lose, and you’re out. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
City are looking to cut the gap to Arsenal on Wednesday night. Both play at the same time. City hosts Forest while Arsenal heads to Brighton, who just beat Forest. There are five points between them, but Arsenal have played an extra game.
After Forest, City have two big away matches: Newcastle in the FA Cup, then Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16. Haaland has already scored at the Bernabeu, but oddly enough, he hasn’t managed a goal against Newcastle in four tries this season.
THE FERGUSON BLUEPRINT: COULD PEP GUARDIOLA MIMIC SIR ALEX’S LEGENDARY 2013 EXIT?
Shay Given suggests Pep Guardiola could mirror Sir Alex Ferguson by leaving Manchester City if they secure the 2026 title.
People are starting to wonder if Pep Guardiola will bow out in style if he wins the Premier League this season, kind of like Sir Alex Ferguson did with Manchester United during his last year.
On Saturday night, Manchester City beat Leeds and pulled itself just two points behind Arsenal. The pressure’s on. Arsenal still lead, and they can stretch that gap to five points again, but they’ve played one more game than City. It’s a tight race.
City are no strangers to chasing down Arsenal; they’ve done it twice before in the last three seasons. Guardiola’s team has the experience, and honestly, that counts for a lot right now.
Arsenal have a great squad, no doubt about it, but not many of their players have actually won the Premier League. That could make a difference as the pressure builds.
Shay Given, who used to play in goal at the top level, thinks Guardiola might walk away from Manchester City if he lifts another trophy. He sees a bit of Ferguson in Pep winning big, then calling it a day. Given talked about it on Premier League Productions: “Arsenal probably have the deeper squad, two or three players for every position. But Pep’s not giving anything away. When someone asked him what Arteta needs to do to win the league, he just said, ‘I’m not going to tell him.’ He wants that trophy for himself.”
It’s pretty simple now: If either team wins all their remaining games, they win the league. Given says he’d back City. He trusts their experience. “They’ve been here before,” he said. “And I’ve got a feeling Pep might leave if they win the league. He’s rebuilt the team; maybe it’s time for someone else to take over, but he’ll want to go out on a high.”
Guardiola and City haven’t stood still. Over the last year and a half, they’ve kept reshaping their squad planning for life after Pep. Marc Guehi, Tijjani Reijnders, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Antoine Semenyo have all come in. Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias are either at their peak or about to hit it. The city looks ready, whatever happens next.
