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Man City sign Frankfurt forward Marmoush for £59m

Manchester City have signed Egypt forward Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt for 70m euros (£59m).

The 25-year-old has agreed a contract until June 2029, with add-ons rising to £4m.

Marmoush has scored 15 goals in 17 Bundesliga games this season, second only to England captain Harry Kane's 16 for Bayern Munich.

"Manchester City is one of the biggest clubs in the world over the past 10 years, so it was not a question," Marmoush said.

"It's a pleasure and an honour for me and my family to be representing Manchester City. It makes them happy; it makes me happy that my dreams are becoming a reality.

"The last two seasons have been great, but it is just the beginning for me."

City have also signed 19-year-old Brazilian defender Vitor Reis from Palmeiras for £30m and Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov from Lens for £34m in the January transfer window.

Marmoush, who has played as a striker, a number 10 and a winger, said: "On the pitch I am fast, good on the ball, I try to see where the spaces are and exploit the spaces - and I'm dangerous.

"My main strength I would say is that I always want to win - that is from a character point of view."

City director of football Txiki Begiristain said Marmoush has "outstanding pace and awareness" and that his versatility is a "really valuable asset".

Marmoush began his career with Wadi Degla in the Egyptian Premier League, before signing for VfL Wolfsburg in 2020.

He had loan spells at FC St Pauli and VfB Stuttgart before his 2023 move to Frankfurt, for whom he scored 37 goals and made 20 assists in 67 games.

'Marmoush the man to share goalscoring responsibility'

Simon Stone, chief football news reporter

Manager Pep Guardiola admitted a couple of weeks ago he made a mistake not following the advice of senior figures at City in the summer by refreshing his squad. Now we are seeing the result of that self-reflection.

Marmoush's arrival is slightly different to those of Reis and Khusanov in that the Egyptian is filling the void left by the sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid rather than to eventually replace older players, with time to bed in.

It has been clear for most of the season that Erling Haaland needed someone to share the burden of responsibility for scoring goals and threatening the opposition.

Marmoush is that man.

He has scored 20 goals in all competitions for Frankfurt over the first half of the campaign.

While it remains to be seen how Marmoush links with Haaland, who signed his own mammoth nine-and-a-half-year deal last week, Guardiola will at least feel he has more attacking options for the remainder of the campaign.

Marmoush is expected to be available for Saturday's Premier League game with Chelsea, although he cannot be registered for next week's crucial Champions League encounter with Club Brugge, which City must win to secure a play-off berth.