Jack Grealish is ready to say goodbye to Manchester City.
talkSPORT sources understand that the England winger has accepted that his City career is over.
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Grealish broke the British record transfer fee in 2021 when he left boyhood club Aston Villa for the Etihad for £100million.
The 29-year-old has won seven honours under Pep Guardiola in Manchester, but his impact has reduced significantly during the past two seasons.
Having made 50 appearances and 16 goal contributions in City’s 2022/23 treble winning campaign, Grealish made 32 appearances and eight contributions last season.
On top of that, he was left on the bench in an FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace that condemned City to a season without a major honour.
Among Grealish’s admirers are Napoli, the new champions of Serie A.
The four-time winners have had huge success with Premier League recruits under Antonio Conte, with former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay the standout.
Napoli already appear to have signed his free agent teammate, Kevin De Bruyne, with president Aurelio De Laurentiis as good as confirming the deal during their trophy parade.
“I know he’s already bought a magnificent villa,” he told the club’s media channel.
“We’ve been working for De Bruyne for a long time, we’re about to cross the finish line.
“We cannot say it yet until we have something written in black and white. Until the contracts are signed, we must be cautious.”
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Meanwhile, The Sun claim that Newcastle are keen on landing the player – but only on loan.
And it has also been stated that potential suitors wishing to sign Grealish on loan may be unwilling to take on his monster £300,000-a-week salary without support from City.
But if interested teams wish to sign Grealish on a permanent deal, he could be far more affordable than his initial £100m fee suggests, as his contract expires in 2027.
City, meanwhile, appear to have already moved on, with January signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, Omar Marmoush, starting 18 matches to Grealish’s 16 despite only being around for half a season.
Guardiola has also said that he wants a smaller squad after a disappointing campaign, saying his current number of players is ‘unsustainable’.
And when asked if Grealish could be one of those he needs to move on, the Spaniard snapped at the end of season question.
Pep Guardiola makes bombshell ‘fractures in the dressing room’ claim in response to Jack Grealish question…
“Don’t ask me about Jack,” he replied to a reporter after a 2-0 win over Fulham. “Who said I’m not happy with Jack?
“Rico [Lewis] was not selected, [James] McAtee was exceptional against Aston Villa and Wolves – why not ask me about McAtee? It’s not personal.
“I have 24 players, I had to get rid of six players last game and five players today because [Mateo] Kovacic got sent off.
“I treat Jack like I think of [Abdukodir] Khusanov, McAtee and all the players who have not been but you say I’m selecting we are in trouble? It’s not about that.
“I have 24 players, I have to get rid of five players because Kovacic was sent off in the last game.
“I’m thinking of Jack and Khusanov and McAtee. It’s nothing personal with Jack.
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“I’m the person who fought for him to come here and the person who fought for him to stay here this season and the next season. I’m the one who said I want Jack Grealish.
“Now he didn’t come because he didn’t come, but not something else. What happens in the future is a job for Txiki [Begiristain], Hugo [Viana] and the agents.”
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Grealish also has his international future to think about with the World Cup in 2026.
A previous favourite of England manager Gareth Southgate, the attacker missed out on Euro 2024 and his only appearances for that year came later on under caretaker Lee Carsley, while new full-time manager Thomas Tuchel is yet to call him up.
