Tottenham’s chase for Omar Marmoush has taken yet another twist as the January transfer window enters its final stretch.
Recent reports suggested Spurs were locked in a battle with Aston Villa, Galatasaray and Fenerbahce for the Egyptian forward. Earlier this week, CaughtOffside even claimed Tottenham had received a major boost after Pep Guardiola supposedly approved Marmoush’s exit from Manchester City following the player’s request to leave. That report added that Spurs were competing mainly with Aston Villa and were considering a loan deal with an option to buy.
However, Football Insider has since poured cold water on those claims, reporting that Manchester City have now decided against selling Marmoush before the deadline. City are said to be unwilling to weaken their squad, with Guardiola determined to keep his group intact as he targets success on all four fronts. Marmoush, meanwhile, is hopeful of earning more minutes during the second half of the season.
As things stand, both Tottenham and Aston Villa look set to miss out, with a move for Marmoush now off the table.
Attention could therefore shift to Maghnes Akliouche. The Monaco attacker has been strongly linked with Spurs throughout January and remains high on the club’s shortlist. However, TEAMtalk reports that Tottenham would need to pay around £50m to prise Akliouche away from Monaco at this late stage of the window.
