Everton have intensified their pursuit of Jack Grealish as the winger looks to reinvigorate his stalling career. The Manchester City star faces an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium after being informed by Pep Guardiola that his services are no longer required.
Grealish was omitted from City's squad for the Club World Cup in the USA. With the new campaign just days away, the 29-year-old remains without a new destination, though it seems Everton could provide his escape route.
According to The Times, David Moyes' outfit are ramping up their bid to bring Grealish to Merseyside. They are eager to secure him on a temporary basis, with fresh discussions over a potential arrangement having taken place recently.
City are determined to recover as much of Grealish's £300k-per-week salary as they can, a requirement that Everton appear willing to accommodate. The England international is said to have given the green light to a switch across the north west.
Discussing Grealish's situation earlier this summer, Guardiola explained: "It was a conversation between him and the club and they decide. Jack is an exceptional player, the only reason why he didn't play last season is of course my decisions, and we decide that he has to play - and the club was honest, he was honest."
"We decide the best is that he has a place that he can feel he can play and come back to be the player that he was in the year of the treble or all his career at Aston Villa; without him it would have been impossible or more difficult to achieve the treble.
"The fact is the last two seasons he hasn't played much minutes and he has to come back to play and get the butterflies back in his stomach that he can play every three days and show again the quality that he has."
Should Grealish seal a move, he could be Everton's sixth summer acquisition. The club has already secured signings including Thierno Barry and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Villarreal and Chelsea, respectively.
Adam Aznou and Mark Travers are among the new faces at Goodison Park, while Carlos Alcaraz's temporary stint from Flamengo has been converted into a full-time commitment. David Moyes' squad is also eyeing Southampton's prodigy Tyler Dibling, who was absent from the Saints' Championship curtain-raiser against Wrexham on Saturday.
The Toffees are set to launch their Premier League season against the newly ascended Leeds United next weekend. In contrast, Man City will commence their title defence with an away fixture at Molineux against Wolves.