Omar Marmouche is set to part ways with the club mid-season despite rumors linking him to stay at Manchester City beyond the end of the January transfer window, according to a new report.
Marmouche returned to the starting XI at the weekend as City beat Wolves for their first Premier League win of 2026, reducing Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to four points.
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The 26-year-old joined City from Eintracht Frankfurt for £59m in January 2025 and played a major role in helping the Blues finish third in the league and reach the FA Cup final in a sobering 2024-25 season.
However, Phil Foden’s resurgence and Jeremy Doku’s performances mean playing time is hard to come by for Mamouche, who broke the deadlock with his first Premier League goal of the 2025-26 season against Wolves on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s side were overly reliant on Erling Haaland in the final third of the first half of the season and after Doku was injured in December 2025, Etihad Stadium executives stepped up their pursuit of Semenho and signed the Ghana international from Bournemouth for an initial fee of £62.5m.
Manchester City’s competition is as fierce as ever but Guardiola needs all the help he can get to help his side compete for trophies on all four fronts, with the Blues getting a huge boost in the title race at the weekend after United beat rivals Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium a week later.
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Manchester City have made a poor start to 2026 and despite returning to winning ways on Saturday, the Blues have won just three of their last eight games in all competitions and after last week’s 3-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League, Guardiola and his side must win their final group stage game against Galatasaray on Wednesday night.
The shrewd signing of Marc Gay from Crystal Palace has also bolstered Guardiola’s depleted backline after injuries to Ruben Dias and Josco Gvaldiol, while John Stones is also unavailable after picking up a leg injury in early December.
Transfers are expected to dominate the transfer headlines at the Etihad Stadium for the remainder of the January transfer window, with Oscar Bobb edging closer to a permanent move to Fulham amid talks of a deal being agreed as soon as possible.
Ismail Mahmoud reports that Mamouch himself could be out of the running for Manchester City mid-season after a disappointing first half of the season, but the Egypt international will not be leaving the club in January after scoring again against Wolves.
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It is said that Manchester City never considered letting Mamouch leave after Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in acquiring him. Last summer, Tottenham almost signed Brazilian winger Savinho, but the owner of the Etihad Stadium rejected an offer of 70 million pounds.
Fenerbahce and Galatasaray were also thought to be interested in Malmouche in January, but it has become clear that neither Turkish player has made significant contact with the player’s camp or Manchester City, with Malmouche keen to work with Guardiola, who himself remains confident in the Egyptian forward.