BBC Sports pundit Troy Deeney says Manchester City winger Jack Grealish is “nailed on” to leave the Etihad at the end of the season.
Pep Guardiola has used the 29-year-old sparingly this campaign, and Deeney believes the Catalan’s man-management of Grealish has been poor:
“I think it’s nailed on that he’s going to leave now. I’ve said this before, I think Pep Guardiola’s one of the best coaches we’ve ever seen. But I don’t think he’s handled the Jack Grealish/Kevin De Bruyne situation well this year at all. I think he’s left them in the cold. He will have to leave and I don’t think he won’t be short of suitors, but I think now it’s a massive situation for him.”
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Chelsea have surprisingly been named as a potential suitor for Grealish in recent days but Deeney believes that another London club is a more likely destination:
“He may have to lower his expectations in terms of wages and where he’s playing but you could definitely see him going to somewhere like Spurs playing week in, week out and trying to move them up but for Jack it’s about staying fit and playing consistently.”
Grealish’s salary demands could be an issue
As Deeney mentions, there is no doubt that the winger will have to agree to a pay cut if he wants to move away from City. He currently has just over two years left on a £300,000 a week contract.
Tottenham’s highest earner is Son Heung-min, with the South Korean international taking home £190,000 a week, which is a considerably smaller sum.
City are already lining up potential replacements
Recent reports indicate that the Cityzens are preparing for Grealish‘s departure. Over the past week, the club have been linked with the likes of Paris Saint-Germain’s Desire Doue, Sporting Lisbon’s Francisco Trincao and Southampton’s Tyler Dibling.
However, a move for Dibling looks highly unlikely following claims that the Saints are demanding £100m – the same fee that City paid for Grealish nearly four years ago.
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