The former Aston Villa captain is expected to depart Manchester City this summer amid interest from Napoli.
Jack Grealish on Man City's subs bench.
Ex-Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish.(Image: Allstar via Getty Images)
Napoli have, reportedly, reached out to Kevin De Bruyne for the lowdown on his former Manchester City team-mate Jack Grealish amid growing speculation over the England playmaker's future.
Grealish is widely believed to be on his way out at Etihad Stadium this summer - coming hot on the heels of De Bruyne's own departure from City as a free agent as he subsequently joined Napoli. Now, fresh rumours say De Bruyne has been questioned by Antonio Conte over the potential benefits of bringing former Aston Villa captain Grealish into the newly-crowned Serie A champions' fold.
The Mirror indicate that De Bruyne - whose outstanding contributions over a decade years at City speak volumes - has communicated a positive "thumbs up" to his new club regarding their alleged interest in Grealish. Yet, concerns linger about the feasibility of matching Grealish's hefty £300,000-a-week salary demands.
City, having forked out £100million to sign Grealish four years prior, are reportedly holding firm on a £40m asking price for his transfer.
Furthermore, the same report indicates that Napoli appear willing to shell out around £200,000-a-week to secure the 39-times capped England international, making a loan deal appear more likely under current circumstances. Presently, Grealish finds himself side-lined from first-team duty, following City's call to exclude the 29-year-old from their FIFA Club World Cup squad.
Regarding any potential move away from City for Grealish, the position seems quite straightforward.
At the close of the season, Pep Guardiola conceded that Grealish "needed" more playing time, whether at City or elsewhere. "Of course, Jack has to play," the Catalan head coach declared to the press at Fulham's Craven Cottage on the final day.
"That's the truth. Jack is an unbelievable player that has to play football every three days.
"And it didn't happen this season, or last season, either. He needs to do it, with us, or another place.
"But that's a question for Jack, his agent, and the club. If he stays, we'll be fine, and he'll fight like he fought since day one to make a contribution."
Initial links between Napoli and Grealish were first reported by The Sun earlier this month.
Everyday, the BirminghamLive football desk strive to deliver all manner of news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Aston Villa content.
Our dedicated reporter John Townley - who you can follow on X by clickinghere - follows Villa home and away and also offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
So much happens day to day and sometimes you can struggle to keep on top of the very latest updates as and when they occur - that's why we have produced a daily newsletter which you can sign up to, for free, and which means you'll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Villa newsletterhere.
You can also get all your favourite content from BirminghamLive's dedicated Villa team through WhatsApp.Click here to sign up for breaking updates about the biggest stories in and around the club.
If you prefer reading our Villa stories on your phone, consider downloading the BirminghamLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Villa as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Applehere and for Androidhere.
Our weekly Villa podcast Claret And Blue is also available to watch and listen on all major streaming services. You can subscribe to the YouTube channelhere, while you can access the podcast on Spotifyhere and via Applehere.