Jack Grealish’s exit from Manchester City may well come in the form of a loan move as his high salary makes it difficult for the Etihad club to offload him.
Grealish’s limited appearance last season, coupled with his absence from City’s Club World Cup squad, points to signs of an impending exit but his reported £300,000 a week salary is proving to be a sticking point for any potential suitors.
The likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and Napoli are reported to be interested with City setting a price of £40m but his exit may well now come via a loan deal, that is the claim by Football Insider.
Their journalist Pete O’Rourke suggested a loan move “might be the most plausible deal.”
“Jack Grealish is probably going to be one of the key players in the rest of the transfer window, and clubs will be looking to see if they can prize him away from Manchester City.
“There will be a number of clubs who’ll be willing to offer Grealish a route out of the club, but it will come down to finances, so a loan might be the most plausible deal.”
Pep Guardiola has also hinted at a move, saying Grealish “has to play” whether that be at City or “another place.”
“The last two months, month and a half there were five or six players at home every time and this time I decided for these guys. No more than that,” Guardiola said of Grealish’s absence in the US.
“Of course Jack has to play. He’s an unbelievable player that has to play football every three days. It didn’t happen this season and last season either.
“He needs to do it. With us or another place. It’s a question for Jack, his agent and the club.”
Grealish is one third of a trio of exits expected at City this summer as James McAtee and Kalvin Phillips also look likely to leave.
McAtee was part of England U21’s Euro-winning squad this summer and his relatively low wage of £15,000 a week makes him much more attractive to clubs.
“James McAtee has a lot of interest in him, in the Premier League and also abroad. Eintracht Frankfurt are leading the race right now, and Borussia Dortmund are interested,” O’Rourke said.
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“There’s also interested clubs in the Premier League. Palace, Forest and Newcastle are all looking to land McAtee, who’s probably available for around £20–25 million this summer.”
The final man, Phillips, spent last season on loan at Ipswich Town but injuries meant he was unable to make a real impact on Kieran McKenna’s side.
Phillips still has three years left to go on the six-year deal he signed when he joined City.
“The other one is the forgotten man, Kalvin Phillips,” O’Rourke said. “It looks like he’ll move on as well, but again, finances will dictate whether that’s permanently or on loan.”
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