Reported Man City target Marmoush scores again for Frankfurt

BERLIN (AP) — Reported Manchester City target Omar Marmoush boosted his transfer value with another goal for Eintracht Frankfurt to beat St. Pauli 1-0 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

The Egypt forward grabbed his 14th league goal in the 32nd minute, taking one touch and another to send the ball inside the far post from a difficult angle.

Frankfurt sporting director Markus Krösche acknowledged before the match that a club “has expressed interest” in the player, though he didn’t want to confirm it was Man City. The English champion has been struggling of late under Pep Guardiola.

Sky reported that Frankfurt was demanding an 80 million euros ($82 million) fee for Marmoush, but Krösche also declined to confirm that.

“It doesn’t make any sense to talk about prices,” Krösche said. “Basically, we’ve said our goal is to keep this team together. Of course, we also said if there are exceptional circumstances, we’d have to think about giving away top performers. We’re not there yet.”

It would be the second big transfer coup for Frankfurt in 1 ½ seasons after selling Randal Kolo Muani in 2023 to Paris Saint-Germain for 95 million euros (then $103 million).

Marmoush, who joined Frankfurt from Bundesliga rival Wolfsburg on a free transfer in 2023, has a contract with the club until summer 2027. Marmoush has 19 goals in 25 games across all competitions for Frankfurt this season.

Bayern edges Gladbach

Harry Kane converted a penalty for Bayern Munich to eke a 1-0 win over Borussia Mönchengladbach and restore its four-point lead in the late game.

The home team adopted a defensive strategy and Bayern failed to overcome it without Jamal Musiala, who had a cold.

Kane, who’d had a noticeably quiet game, scored from the spot in the 68th minute. The penalty was awarded after Michael Olise fell under light contact from Lukas Ullrich. There was no intervention from the video referee.

It was Kane’s first shot at goal, and it yielded his 15th league goal in 14 appearances this season.

Bayern stayed four points clear of Bayer Leverkusen, which put Vincent Kompany’s team under pressure with a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund the night before.

Baumgart’s bad start

Steffen Baumgart endured a difficult debut as the Union Berlin coach as his team conceded early and lost defender Tom Rothe to a red card in a 2-0 loss at Heidenheim.

Heidenheim previously lost its last seven games in the Bundesliga.

Baumgart, who previously played for Union, was appointed coach on Dec. 30 to take over from Bo Svensson, who was fired after nine games without a win in all competitions. Now it’s 10.

Jonathan Burkardt scored twice for Mainz to beat Bochum 2-0 at home. Burkardt is a reported target for Frankfurt should Marmoush leave the club.

Freiburg held on for a 3-2 win over visiting Holstein Kiel.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer