Aston Villa eye a move to rival Spurs for £59m “livewire”

Aston Villa have made huge strides in their Premier League campaign and have put themselves firmly in the conversation for the title race.

Unai Emery has led his side to second place in the top-flight table, ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Chelsea this afternoon, six points behind his former club and league leaders Arsenal.

The Midlands club have established themselves as a very real threat to breaking down the ‘big six’ narrative in the Premier League and could easily be in contention to qualify for Champions League football once again this season.

Recruitment has played an important part in their rise, enabling them to compete with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal for a place inside the top four.

Their strategy has drastically evolved from buying players with potential who can be sold on at a profit to acquiring experienced individuals capable of making an immediate impact on the starting eleven and their quest for success.

The ambitions of the club are clear, and the January transfer window presents an opportunity to further strengthen – not only to challenge for the highest domestic honour this season, but also to maintain the progression they have already made.

According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are eyeing a move to secure the signature of Manchester City star Omar Marmoush.

Speaking to the publication, transfer expert Dean Jones revealed:

“There are whispers emerging out of Egypt that Aston Villa are making a move for Marmoush.

The idea is fascinating, and as a club that have tried to bring Rashford, Sancho and Elliott back to life in the Premier League, it is reasonable to imagine that they fancy Marmoush to be next.”

“His game time at Man City hasn’t been what he would have hoped, and we have reported that Villa are on the lookout for another player for the front line to give them a better chance of sustaining the form they have shown recently.”

“But we have also been told recently that Man City do not want to lose Marmoush.

That was in connection with Tottenham enquiries about the player – so I cannot imagine they would have too much appetite to let him join Villa, who are an even bigger threat to them this season.”

There is no doubt that a move for Marmoush would represent the ambition of the club and would be warmly welcomed by the supporters.

The Egyptian forward – once hailed as a “livewire” by talkSPORT presenter Tony Cascarino – is versatile, experienced and incredibly talented, with youth on his side to further improve and develop his craft.

Joining Manchester City from Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2025 on a £59m deal, Marmoush quickly settled in at the Etihad, demonstrating his undeniable threat in front of goal, but has struggled to earn consistent game time this season.

Over 40 appearances for City in all competitions so far, the talented attacker has scored nine goals and registered four assists, averaging a goal contribution every 160 minutes.

However, Villa may need to compete with Tottenham Hotspur if they act on their interest, with the report suggesting that Spurs have already opened talks to sign Marmoush.

With that in mind, if the Villans are serious about securing the signature of the talented City star, they will need to move quickly.

Marmoush is a player who has demonstrated his ability to make an immediate impact in a team, and could be the final piece in Villa’s efforts to bring silverware to Villa Park this season.

Rebekka Arnold is an experienced writer with a strong background in digital media, PR and football journalism.

Since 2021, Rebekka has written opinion pieces and match reaction content for Football Fancast, part of the Snack Media network, building on her growing presence in the football community through viral Twitter content and podcasting.

Now at Transfer Tavern, Rebekka brings her sharp eye for analysis and deep passion for the game to deliver engaging football opinion and breaking transfer news content.