With City and Grealish on the same page regarding a departure, that leaves finances as the main obstacle. There is going to be need for compromise.
Grealish is reported to earn £300,000 per week at City, a figure few clubs in world football could match.
Manchester United and Liverpool are arguably the two Premier League clubs that could, but neither are interested in the 29-year-old.
Grealish is contracted at Manchester City until 2027 but could a financial agreement be decided between the two to pave the way for an exit?
Even if Grealish took a substantial pay cut, a permanent return to boyhood club Villa is unlikely.
Villa have the biggest wage issue in the league – in 2024 their wage to revenue ratio was 91% – and are focused on reducing their wage bill over the summer, not increasing it, having missed out on Champions League football.
Then there is the question of whether or not he is the type of player wanted by Villa boss Unai Emery, despite being a former favourite of the Villa fans.
Newcastle would probably be the best bet in terms of wage capacity – a cut would still be necessary – though they don’t have a huge amount of profit and sustainability rules (PSR) headroom to play with in terms of a transfer fee.
Spurs have long been linked with Grealish, but their summer outlay could be shackled by the more than £330m in unpaid transfer fees they owe, a considerable portion of which are due this summer.
Everton, again, would be unable to match Grealish’s current wages.
Barcelona’s interest has evaporated because of their financial issues and focus on other areas of recruitment, while it would be a stretch for AC Milan and Napoli – the latter are expected to sign Grealish’s former City team-mate Kevin de Bruyne on a free transfer – to meet his wage demands.
That brings us back to the loan scenario – not ideal for either party, but possibly the most likely option. This would likely involve City subsidising a significant part of his wages, or a substantial loan fee being paid, opening up the potential for those mentioned above to get a deal over the line.
If City decided to take a massive hit on the £100m they paid for Grealish four years ago, then perhaps a suitor could afford to pay him a large sign-on fee to compensate for a drop in his wages.
If Grealish wants to keep his current salary – or even increase it – then perhaps Saudi Arabia is the only option.
All parties need to compromise to make a summer move happen, and bring an end to Grealish’s mixed City story. One thing is for sure – it’s complicated.
