Jack Grealish Trade: 3 Potential Destination For Manchester City’s Out-of-Favor Winger
The future of Manchester City’s 100-million man, Jack Grealish, has become a hot topic for most neutrals as his importance under Pep Guardiola continues to diminish with each passing day.
4 years after his £100m blockbuster move from Aston Villa to Manchester City, the 29-year-old who used to be a player of high value to manager Pep Guardiola, has found himself on the periphery of the team, A situation that worsened with his exclusion from City’s Club World Cup Squad.
The handwriting was on the wall before the conclusion of the regular season, as the former Villa man started only once in the Cityzens’ last six matches of the season. In total, he started only 7 Premier League matches in his 20 appearances.
This starkly contrasts with the initial optimism that greeted Jack Grealish’s arrival from the West Midlands. His goals and assists numbers were never going to stand out, but under Pep Guardiola, many expected Grealish to finally unleash his beastly Creative nature. While many point to the Treble-winning side of the 2022-23 season, where Grealish produced 11 assists and 5 goals, he has never looked like a convincing signing.
Also Read: Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Tottenham in Race for Manchester City’s Flop Signing
Three Potential Destinations for Grealish
Aston Villa has been reported to be Jack Grealish’s preferred destination, with the Midlands club also interested but for a cut price. Aston Villa decided against signing Marcus Rashford after the conclusion of the loan move from Manchester United, which means Villa still needs to fill the left wing spot.
While a return to Aston Villa was mooted a few months ago, it appears to have gone cold. Despite being a month into the transfer window, there has been no concrete move to sign Jack Grealish from Manchester City. Several clubs have begun to make enquiries as they weigh the options.
1. West Ham
The Hammers have been rumoured to have a strong interest in Jack Grealish, even though a loan move appears more likely given the financial constraint. The sale of Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham for £55m creates a vacuum on the Left wing as West Ham only have Crysencio Summerville and Maxwell Cornet as the only available attackers on the left.
23-year-old, Summerville played only 19 Premier League games for West Ham last season with a meagre output of a goal and assist, meanwhile Ivorian, Maxwell Cornet had 2 separate loan deals last season with Southampton, where he played 4 matches,s and with Girona in the second half of the season
These two options on the left have proven to be less than Useful, hence West Ham’s strong interest in Jack Grealish.
As clubs continue to express certain worries surrounding the deal, Everton is also interested but would prefer a loan deal, as Manchester City has made it clear they prefer a permanent move.
2. Tottenham
Thomas Frank is known to be a keen admirer of the 29-year-old from his time at Brentford, now at a more illustrious club, Tottenham. he is expected to make a move as the potential signing of Morgan Gibbs-White remains in limbo.
The uncertain future of Heung Min Son who predominantly plays on the left or through the Centre could further accelerate a potential deal as Tottenham hope to wrap up an attacking acquisition ahead of the UEFA Super Cup on 13th August at the Stadio Friuli Udine, Italy.
Participants in the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League season, Tottenham, just like other clubs, will be hoping to have at least 2 players competing in each position, and at the moment, they are not adequately covered in central midfield or left-sided attack, two positions Jack Grealish is adept at. Tottenham Hotspur are obliged to make a move even more given the uncertainty surrounding the Morgan Gibbs-White deal after Nottingham Forest threatened Legal action.
Jack Grealish’s Champions League experience will also prove vital to a young Spurs team making a return after some years out of the competition. The England International won the competition with City in 2023 while constantly involved since he joined in 2021.
3. Manchester United
It is difficult, if not almost unimaginable, for Manchester City and Manchester United to be involved in a player transfer given the long-term rivalry between both sides, but let’s admit it, the Red side of Manchester United has ceased to be ‘Rivals’ to City a long time ago. Manchester United have not finished above City in 12 football seasons, the last time it happened Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge.
The average point gap between both teams in this period has been 10.4. For many in England, City can afford to let go of Grealish, even if it’s to Manchester United, given the little threat both player and club pose to the Cityzens. City sold the duo of Gabriel Jesus and Zinchenko to Arsenal in 2022 and still went ahead to win the league, finishing above the Gunners comfortably.
While the Red Devils have added Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo to their ranks, the certain exit of Alejandro Garanacho, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho means Manchester United have limited options on the left of the attack.
Garnacho, Rashford, and Sancho, according to the reports, are training separately after informing the club of their desire to leave. The attacking trio are specialists as left-sided attackers; their exit would mean Manchester United is short on attackers, with only Amad Diallo and Mbuemo as the only recognised wide attackers in the team.
The addition of Jack Grealish will bring the necessary cover on the flanks and in the middle for Bruno Fernandes, it will also give Grealish the perfect opportunity to get his international career back on track and away from the hurdles of matches every 3 days. The absence of European football for Manchester United means less rigour as he steadily builds his fitness and confidence.
Manchester United will have to offload the above-mentioned players before being able to make a move for the Englishman. There is a worry that they could be out of the race as other teams attempt to quickly make their move.
The Future, Age and Salary Constraint
As the curtain falls on his Manchester City career, we are left guessing what is next.
Jack Grealish turns 30 in September, and while the left winger’s quality is never in doubt across England, few are reluctant to commit a sizeable chunk of transfer and wage fee to a player heading into the dreaded ’30’ zone.
Reports indicate Manchester City is resigned to accepting a huge loss on the £100m spent in 2021 but will demand at least £20m for a player who still hopes to regain the trust of national team coach Thomas Tuchel.
Jack Grealish’s annual salary is £15.6m, which is approximately £300,000 per week. This could also prove a stumbling block to a potential transfer, as witnessed by Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
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