Exits are set to take place soon at Manchester City after a busy opening phase to the summer transfer window for the Premier League giants.
Pep Guardiola has seen four new stars arrive in his squad ahead of the Manchester club getting their FIFA Club World Cup campaign underway against Wydad AC next Wednesday, with Sverre Nypan set to be Man City’s next summer addition.
The Premier League side are not done in the market as Man City are expected to sign a right-back, while exits will have to take place, as Guardiola has made it clear that he does not want to work with a big squad next season.
The future of several stars is up in the air, and Bayer Leverkusen “dream” about recruiting one of them for the 2025/26 campaign.
Bayer Leverkusen dream of signing Jack Grealish
Jack Grealish has accepted that his Man City career is over after a very tough 2024/25 campaign for the winger at the Etihad Stadium.
Several clubs have shown an interest in the 29-year-old, and it was recently reported that Bayer Leverkusen were monitoring Grealish’s situation at Man City, but a deal for the Englishman does not seem feasible at present.
This has been backed up by Christian Falk, who has stated that the Bundesliga club dreams of signing Grealish this summer; however, a move is unlikely unless the player takes a massive wage cut or City pays the majority of his salary as part of a loan deal.
“It would be a dream come true to see Jack Grealish play in Leverkusen. However, this dream will remain unfulfilled,” Falk wrote for his The Daily Briefing column.
“The player is rumoured to receive a salary of over €18m (£15m) at Manchester City. Leverkusen cannot and will never pay this sum. If the player waives half of his salary or Manchester takes over this sum, a transfer to the Bundesliga would be conceivable. Otherwise not.”
A loan deal is what most clubs are seeking when it comes to the Man City star this summer, with Everton and Newcastle leading the race for Grealish.
Shay Given thinks this is a step down for the 29-year-old, as the pundit believes the winger can still play for all the top teams in England.
Shay Given thinks Jack Grealish can play for every team in England
There has been a lot of conversation around Grealish over recent weeks, and when asked about the Man City star, Given stated that the winger is a “generational talent” who still has the ability to play for every team in the Premier League.
“I think Jack has been a generational talent, I really do,” Given told the Metro. “I think Jack can play for every single team in the country.
“I remember not so long ago he was playing a central role for England when they played Ireland last year, he was the star man, he was phenomenal that day.
“He is only 29, he still has three or four brilliant years ahead of him at the top. Having not played recently, he will be really hungry to go out there and show how good he is.
| Season | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| 24/25 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 1521 |
| 23/24 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 2114 |
| 22/23 | 50 | 5 | 11 | 3487 |
| 21/22 | 39 | 6 | 4 | 2730 |
“I wouldn’t want to name clubs, but at the same time, I think he walks into any team in the country, that even includes Liverpool or Chelsea or anyone. I think he just needs to be given a batch of games to show how good he is back in that central position and not out wide.”
It remains uncertain where Grealish will play his football next season, but what is clear is that the winger needs to be a regular starter wherever he goes, as that is the only way he will get to play for England at the 2026 World Cup.
