Where next for Grealish if he leaves Man City as expected?

In his first interview since joining Manchester City in 2021, Jack Grealish remarked, “It’s a dream come true to be a part of this club.”

It’s fair to say that City’s dreams had come true since City paid a record fee of £100 million to bring in England’s midfielder from Aston Villa.

Grealish has won three Premier League titles since then, and he was instrumental in City’s Treble victory in his second season there.

However, his experience in Manchester has become more of a nightmare over the past two years.

Grealish has only made 17 Premier League starts in two seasons, with a lack of minutes cost him a spot in England’s Euro 2024 squad, a combination of injuries and subpar performances.

Grealish was a unused substitute on ten occasions during the second half of the campaign as the dethroned champions City endured their worst season under Pep Guardiola, which saw them struggle to earn a Champions League spot.

Since having a mixed debut season in sky blue, Grealish’s future at City has never really been resolved.

In his third season, he appeared a shadow of himself, despite the critics’ disapproval.

After missing out on City’s matchday squad for their final, must-win Premier League game, Grealish’s fourth campaign came to an end.

Grealish’s time is running out, given City’s interest in playmaker Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders’ signing.

Both parties have acknowledged that it is time to step down, and the England international is likely to be left out of City’s squad for the Fifa Club World Cup in the United States later this month.

Both Grealish and the City board still respect him for his approach and popularity within the squad as well as his playmaking ability.

However, there is now consensus that this is the right time to move forward, especially given Guardiola’s declaration that he wants a smaller squad for the following term.

Grealish and Grealish are in agreement. He thinks it would be best for him to concentrate on his future and sign with a new club after a difficult season both indoors and away.

Where might Grealish go next with two more years on his contract, that raises a possibility.

The player has a choice, but he also has preferences.

Grealish prefers a permanent new home and a break from the past, as Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford did last season.

City would approve a loan, but they’d rather sell to avoid paying Grealish’s wages and recover a portion of the $100m investment. They accept that their payment for him will not be as good as it was.

Given that former clubs Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle, Everton, and former club Villa have all been linked with him, Grealish would of course be willing to stay in the Premier League.

He wants to continue playing at the highest level that Newcastle and Spurs can offer next season, ideally in the Champions League.

Grealish also said moving to the continent is possible, noting that Napoli, Barcelona, AC Milan, and AC Milan are all mentioned, though the former’s initial interest has since waned. Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund both appear to be viable options.

Finances remain the main challenge, with City and Grealish on the same page regarding a departure. Compromission will be necessary.

Few clubs in the world of football would be able to match the £300,000 earned by Grealish per week at City.

The two Premier League clubs that could potentially sign the 29-year-old are undoubtedly Manchester United and Liverpool, but neither one of them are interested in him.

Could there be a financial agreement between Manchester City and Grealish to make way for an exit if the pair choose to stay together until 2027?

A permanent stay at the boyhood club Villa is unlikely, even if Grealish received a significant pay cut.

Since missing out on Champions League football, Villa are focused on lowering their wage bill over the summer rather than increasing it, with their wage ratio of 91% in 2024.

Despite being a former Villa fan favorite, it is still unclear whether or not he is the type of player that Unai Emery wants him to be.

Newcastle would likely be the best option in terms of wage capacity, even though they don’t have a lot of profit and sustainability rules (PSR) headroom to play with when paying a transfer fee. However, a cut would still be necessary.

Spurs have long been linked with Grealish, but the over £330 million in unpaid transfer fees that are due this summer could stymie their summer investment.

Everton would have to pay Grealish’s current wage, once more.

It would be difficult for AC Milan and Napoli to sign Grealish’s former City team-mate Kevin de Bruyne on a free transfer in order to meet his wage demands while Barcelona’s interest has waned because of their financial problems and focus on other recruitment issues.

This brings us to the loan scenario, which is probably the most likely choice for either party. This would likely result in City paying a sizable portion of his wages or paying a sizable loan amount, giving those mentioned above the opportunity to strike a deal off the rails.

Perhaps a suitor could afford to pay him a sizable sign-on fee in exchange for a drop in his wages if City decided to take a significant hit on the £100m they paid for Grealish four years ago.

Saudi Arabia may be the only option if Grealish wants to keep or even raise his current salary.