Omar Marmoush, previously linked with Liverpool, is joining Man City in a deal worth £67.7 million, with the Egyptian striker signing an eye-watering contract.
Marmoush had been considered a possible target for the Reds as part of the evolution of Arne Slot‘s attack, but sources within the club had long denied interest.
Instead, the Egypt international is swapping Eintracht Frankfurt for Man City for an initial €75 million (£66.7m), rising to €80 million (£67.7m) with add-ons.
It comes with the Premier League champions desperately reinforcing their squad after a disastrous first half of the season, sitting sixth after 21 games and 12 points behind Liverpool who hold a game in hand.
While Liverpool fans may be frustrated at the club’s lack of activity, including around Marmoush, the contract he has agreed with Man City would almost certainly have been a non-starter.
Per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Marmoush is set to earn between £260,000 and £275,000 per week before tax – which is typically how football salaries are reported.
That means the 25-year-old will bring home around £162,000 a week after tax, which is over five times as much as his pre-tax earnings at Frankfurt, where he was paid £32,000 per week gross.
Liverpool’s current highest earner is Marmoush’s international captain Mohamed Salah, whose basic wage is £350,000 per week before tax.
Marmoush’s wages at Man City are more than reported salaries for the likes of Virgil van Dijk (£220,000 a week), Alisson (£200,000 a week) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (£180,000 a week).
While there is no suggestion Liverpool were in the running to sign Marmoush, there would have been little chance of them matching Man City‘s offer.
That is no detriment to the club in this instance, though there is a sense of frustration around Anfield when it comes to the impasse in talks with Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold.
All three players are out of contract at the end of the season and deserving of elite-level wages, but with Liverpool needing to tie down all three at the same time, it requires the commitment of a significant outlay to execute.
That Marmoush is earning upwards of £260,000 per week in his first contract in the Premier League could throw a curveball in the Reds’ talks with Salah.
While there is no insecurity when it comes to Liverpool’s No. 11, it could serve as another benchmark in demanding a sizeable increase given Salah is proven to be operating at levels above his Egypt teammate and fellow forward.
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