Manchester City respond to Fulham’s opening January offer for Oscar Bobb | OneFootball

Manchester City have knocked back Fulham’s initial bid for Oscar Bobb as talks continue between the clubs with an intent to reach an agreement, as per a new report.

Fulham are leading the race to sign the 22-year-old forward in the closing week of the January transfer window, with Bobb set to leave Manchester City to revitalise his career ahead of this summer’s FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Bobb has endured an injury-riddled 18 months and thereby struggled for regular minutes in the Manchester City first-team this term, despite starting his boyhood club’s first three Premier League games of the season against Wolves, Tottenham and Brighton.

The Norway international burst onto the scene after scoring an injury-time winner in a monumental 3-2 win over Newcastle at St. James’ Park in January 2024 en route to a historic fourth successive Premier League title for Manchester City.

However, the City academy graduate has failed to make the cut since and with Pep Guardiola adding Antoine Semenyo to his attack this month, executives at the Etihad Stadium have left the door open for Bobb to leave the club in January.

As negotiations continue between Manchester City and Fulham for the winger, the Blues have rejected an initial offer from the west London club for Bobb, though Fulham remain in pole position to sign the Norwegian in what remains of the January transfer window, as reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic.

Manchester City are struggling with a dire injury situation and Guardiola needs players he can rely upon as the Blues compete for silverware on four fronts in the second half of the season. John Stones and Nathan Ake – both hardly reliable from a fitness standpoint – are expected to leave City in the summer.

City have also left the door open for Kalvin Phillips and Stefan Ortega Moreno to find new clubs before the January window closes, with no new arrivals expected at the Etihad Stadium after the shrewd, stellar acquisitions of Semenyo and England international Marc Guehi.

Borussia Dortmund vested an interest in Bobb ahead of January but were put off by the finances involved in a potential deal, with the German outfit refusing to comply with Manchester City’s insistence on a permanent buy option at the end of the season – should Dortmund prefer an initial loan.

Fulham manager Marco Silva is understood to be spearheading the Craven Cottage club’s pursuit of Bobb, who needs a fresh start to reignite a career that has struggled to progress for one reason or the other at the Etihad Stadium in the last year-and-a-half.

Competition on the wings is as stiff as it has ever been for Manchester City, with Omar Marmoush also set to stay at the club beyond January after returning to the scoresheet in a 2-0 win over Wolves on his first start for the Blues since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Manchester City value Bobb at £35 million and are expected to insert a sell-on clause in the winger’s contract at Fulham – should the clubs reach an agreement for the forward.