Jack Grealish is into the final year of his Manchester City contract, with a free transfer exit at the end of the 2026/27 season currently on the cards. The 31-year-old is back at Everton on a second consecutive loan spell, having seen a season-long move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium sanctioned for the 2025/26 campaign.
That first loan came after he fell out of favour under Pep Guardiola. Everton declined to make the move permanent, despite City offering a £50 million option to buy. So back he went to the Etihad for pre-season and the opening weeks of this campaign, and there were those who thought a comeback under new manager Enzo Maresca might just be on.
He played in the FA Community Shield defeat to Arsenal. He played in the 2-1 win over Bournemouth on the opening weekend. Then another exit was agreed, and back to Everton he went.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Grealish addressed his future. "That's the main thing," he said, without elaborating on what the main thing actually was. Make of that what you will.
It is a long way from 2021, when City invested £100 million to bring the former Aston Villa captain from Villa Park. He was instrumental in the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League Treble triumph of 2023.
Now the attacking options at City look rather different. Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku provide the width, while summer recruits Iliman Ndiaye and Allan Elias have added further competition. Ndiaye, for his part, rejected a move to Tottenham in favour of a deadline day switch to Manchester City — a decision that looks smarter with every passing week.
Grealish's City story is winding down. Whether it ends with a free transfer next summer or something else, the final chapter is being written away from the Etihad.