Jack Grealish appears set to leave Manchester City this summer but a move away from the Etihad is proving to be more difficult than first thought for the England winger despite huge interest
Jack Grealish is happy to play a waiting game regarding his future despite Pep Guardiola telling him to leave. Grealish appears to have little future at Manchester City having dropped down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium.
The situation for the England winger then got even worse after he was axed entirely for City’s squad for the Club World Cup in America. A number of clubs have expressed an interest in potentially rescuing him including Napoli, Everton and Newcastle.
But Grealish’s £300k-per-week wages have proven to be a massive stumbling block, with none of those clubs able to afford that pay packet. One solution would be for City to massively subsidise Grealish’s wages for any club that signs him.
But as it stands, it appears that he is in no rush to find his next club. According to The Sun, Grealish is happy to bide his time and would be willing to wait for options as the transfer window progresses.
City remain on Club World Cup duty with pre-season fixtures having been shelved as a result of the tournament. Grealish has time to consider options but will have to think carefully as he targets a place in England's World Cup squad this time next year.
Guardiola recently opened up on discussions he held with Grealish regarding his future. He said: “It was a conversation between him and the club and they decide. Jack is an exceptional player, the only reason why he didn’t play last season is of course my decisions, and we decide that he has to play - and the club was honest, he was honest.
“We decide the best is that he has a place that he can feel he can play and come back to be the player that he was in the year of the treble or all his career at Aston Villa; without him it would have been impossible or more difficult to achieve the treble.
“The fact is the last two seasons he hasn’t played much minutes and he has to come back to play and get the butterflies back in his stomach that he can play every three days and show again the quality that he has.”
Where should Grealish go next? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Grealish is not the only Man City star who has a decision to make on an exit. Kyle Walker is also in a similar situation following his loan spell at AC Milan.
Asked for an update on the duo, Guardiola replied: “I don’t have any news, it’s the same for Jack. Regarding the links, I don’t know. You have to ask.”