Everton make progress in talks over Grealish loan

Everton are progressing in talks to sign winger Jack Grealish on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City.

The 29-year-old has fallen out of favour at City and was left out of their squad for the final Premier League game of the season at Fulham as well as the Club World Cup in the United States.

Sources have told BBC Sport that an agreement over a deal for Grealish, who reportedly earns £300,000-a-week at City, is not yet imminent.

But he made only seven league starts last season as City ended the season without winning a major trophy.

He was left on the bench by manager Pep Guardiola during the FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace, with Argentine teenager Claudio Echeverri being given a debut instead.

Noel Sliney, BBC Sport:

It has been a chastening two years for Jack Grealish, since he enjoyed the most successful season of his career.

He had played an integral role in Manchester City’s historic Treble in 2022-23, starting the FA Cup final and every one of their seven knockout ties as the club won the Champions League for the first time.

Only six outfield City players spent more time on the pitch than Grealish in the Premier League too.

A hamstring injury halted his momentum early in 2023-24, which the England playmaker ended with more yellow cards (seven) than combined goals and assists (six) across all competitions.

He featured in just 40% of the total minutes played by City despite being in the squad for 82% of them.

His involvement dropped to 30% last term as Grealish’s career plummeted to its nadir. Three of his six starts after Christmas came against lower-league opposition in the FA Cup, while 16 starts in total is his fewest in a campaign since he was 20 years old.

Unsurprisingly, it has also been his least productive season in terms of chances created and dribbling success since returning to the Premier League in 2019.

City’s team structure has seldom afforded Grealish the license to take on and glide past opponents as he did with such insouciance as the talismanic captain at boyhood club Aston Villa.