'The Best Thing...' - Pep Guardiola Confirms Jack Grealish Will Leave Manchester City This Summer

When Manchester City left out record English signing Jack Grealish from their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 squad, it was seen as a sure-shot sign that he was set to leave the club in the summer. After all, all of City's new summer signings in Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli got the nod but not Grealish. 

The English playmaker's time on the field was largely limited during the season gone by and there was an expectation that something has to change. 

And now manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Grealish was left out so that he could focus on finding a new club in the summer. 

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Grealish No Longer in Man City's Plans

Speaking to the media ahead of City's opening Club World Cup game against Wydad FC, Guardiola said Grealish needs to find a new club to rediscover his best form. 

"We decide that the best thing is to stay (behind) and have a place that he can feel like he can come back to be the player like he was in the year of the Treble or all his career in Aston Villa."

Whether a club can agree to a deal that City would find suitable remains to be seen - and that's without even taking into consideration Grealish's wage demands. 

He still has 2 years left on his contract and earns around £300,000 a week, meaning he will likely expect a similar deal from wherever it is he goes next. 

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What Are Jack Grealish's Options?

A return to boyhood club Aston Villa could have been a possibility were it not for the souring of relations between Grealish and the Villa fans, who have mercilessly booed him when he's come to Villa Park as a City player. 

Everton and Napoli have been linked with a move but both may find stumbling blocks from a financial perspective as neither side would be able to afford his wages. 

A move abroad may seem likelier but comes with its own challenges. As things stand, there is no definitive favourite to secure Grealish's signature.