Marmoush on the move?
Newcastle United have joined the chase for Omar Marmoush, with the City forward looking increasingly likely to leave the Etihad this summer.
The Egypt international has struggled to nail down a regular starting spot under Enzo Maresca, and a number of clubs are monitoring his situation. Tottenham and Barcelona remain interested, but it's the Magpies who could be the ones to watch.
"Newcastle know they need to do some serious business up front," one source told me. "Their forward signings last summer haven't done it, there are already serious doubts about Nick Woltemade's future, and Marmoush is someone they've got high up on their list."
Newcastle's interest comes after a chaotic summer on Tyneside. Anthony Gordon has gone to Barcelona, Sandro Tonali has moved to Tottenham, and a deal taking Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal is imminent. The club have banked significant fees for those departures, leaving them with serious cash to splash.
That financial muscle could make them the best-placed club to meet City's €60-65m asking price for the 27-year-old. Barcelona, for their part, are hunting for cheaper options up front after deciding Julian Alvarez is too expensive, while Spurs have other priorities, most notably Savinho and Cody Gakpo.
No formal approach has been made yet, but it's one to keep an eye on. City, for their part, aren't desperate to offload Marmoush — they value the squad depth — but most intermediaries expect they'll do business if the price is right.
After a difficult summer that has seen several star names depart, Marmoush could be exactly what Newcastle need. Whether they can get a deal over the line remains to be seen, but the pieces are certainly in place.