Newcastle United have been linked with a move for Manchester City star Jack Grealish.
It has been a year of regression in terms of squad depth for Newcastle United, with head coach Eddie Howe feeling the effects of heavy spending in years gone by.
Newcastle spent as if it was going out of style between 2022 and 2023, with players like Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali joining for huge fees. Eventually, the spending caught up with them and consequentially, Newcastle sold Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to other Premier League clubs.
Both players are now performing well at their respective clubs, with Minteh scoring against Newcastle for Brighton in the FA Cup earlier in March.
Newcastle will target young players in the summer, with the hope that Howe can improve them and quickly make them ready for first-team football. However, it has not stopped them from looking at more established players who would be able to hit the ground running immediately. Newcastle are eyeing a move for Liam Delap who has impressed for Ipswich Town, despite their rough return to the Premier League.
Sporting director Paul Mitchell has also been tasked with finding a winger for the Magpies in the summer. A new report has just given them a boost in their efforts to sign one.
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
Jack Grealish told to take pay cut amid Newcastle United links
Manchester City forward Jack Grealish looks down and out at the defending Premier League champions. The 29-year-old hasn’t scored in the Premier League this season and has been limited to just 605 minutes across 16 appearances in the top flight.
Reports in January suggested Newcastle wanted to sign Grealish, who signed for the Citizens for £100m in 2021. There’s no doubt that Grealish goes against Mitchell’s transfer plan, with the England international still set to cost a considerable transfer fee.
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According to GiveMeSport, Grealish will have to take a 33% pay cut to leave Man City this summer.
The report links Grealish with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, claiming Ange Postecoglou’s side were interested in a January move for the Champions League winner who has five assists in all competitions this season.
Grealish earns a reported £300,000-per-week at Man City, so even with a pay cut he would become Newcastle’s highest earner, trumping Bruno Guimaraes’ £160,000-per-week which currently tops the chart. There’s no doubt that his wage bill would put a big dent in their budget and it could have implications on whether they can hand Alexander Isak a new deal at the club at the end of the season.
Newcastle United shouldn’t even consider signing Jack Grealish
While Grealish was a tremendous player at Aston Villa, he has been anything but that for Man City in his three-and-a-half seasons at the club.
Now approaching the latter stages of his career, there will be doubts over whether Grealish will be worth the gargantuan amounts of money Newcastle would most likely pay for him.
Another problem is that Grealish is predominantly a left-winger, a position Newcastle have more than enough depth in. Anthony Gordon’s place in the starting XI is safe, even after his red card against Brighton in the FA Cup.
Newcastle are looking to sign a right-sided attacker in the summer after Miguel Almiron moved to Atlanta United in January. Mitchell has already been working on bringing a new young winger to the club, with Antonio Cordero close to joining Newcastle on a free transfer.
The 18-year-old will be loaned out for his first season with the Magpies but should be in contention to feature more frequently in the 2026/27 campaign if all goes to plan.