Grealish back at City but future remains unclear
Jack Grealish has returned to Manchester City for pre-season following a loan spell at Everton that ended a month early due to a broken foot. The 30-year-old winger scored two goals and provided six assists in 20 Premier League appearances for David Moyes' side before the injury cut his campaign short.
Everton had a £50 million option to buy Grealish, but that was not exercised after the injury. Now, with Grealish entering the final year of his contract at the Etihad, City officials would prefer a permanent sale rather than another loan.
According to a report from talkSPORT's Alex Crook, clubs within the Saudi Pro League have expressed transfer interest in Grealish. One option is said to be Al Hilal, who are actively looking for a new left winger. However, the England international's preference is likely to be to stay in the Premier League.
Everton would entertain another temporary move for Grealish, but their apparent appetite is only for another loan, not a permanent transfer. That does not automatically align with Manchester City's preference for a permanent sale.
Grealish is currently in Spain working at RCD Mallorca's training base to recover from a foot bone stress fracture that occurred towards the end of last season. New manager Enzo Maresca is known to hold long-standing respect for the player's ability, but Grealish's influence had waned significantly under Pep Guardiola in the years following the treble-winning 2022/23 campaign.
Grealish moved from Aston Villa to City in 2021 for a fee of £100 million, a British transfer record at the time. He played a central role in the club's historic treble-winning season. Now, with three years left on his contract at the time, it appears his time at the Etihad could be coming to an end.