The future of Jack Grealish at Manchester City will be decided over the coming weeks.
The 24/25 campaign was a very tough one for the 29-year-old as he fell down the pecking order at the Manchester club and barely played towards the end of the campaign, which resulted in Grealish being left out of Man City’s squad for the FIFA Club World Cup.
This was a clear indication of Pep Guardiola’s plans for the winger ahead of the upcoming season, with the City fan favourite expected to leave before the summer transfer window shuts.
The major issue the Manchester club is currently facing is moving the former Aston Villa star on, as Man City want £50m to sell Grealish, while a loan move is made difficult by his £300,000-a-week wages.
Several clubs are keeping an eye on the Englishman’s situation at the Etihad Stadium, and a new report states that the winger remains on the list of one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Jack Grealish is still wanted by Napoli
It was reported last month that Napoli have an interest in signing Grealish this summer as the Serie A champions are keen on strengthening their attack.
Antonio Conte even spoke to Kevin De Bruyne about his former Man City teammate, but it looked like the Italian coach lost interest in the Englishman once he signed Noa Lang from PSV Eindhoven.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Grealish is still on Napoli’s list of left-sided wingers the Italian club want to sign, along with Bologna’s Dan Ndoye and Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa, as the Serie A champions plan to use Lang on the opposite flank.
The report does not state if the deal will be a permanent transfer or a loan deal, as Napoli have money to spend, having just sold Victor Osimhen to Galatasaray for a large fee.
West Ham are the latest club to show interest in Grealish, along with Everton, but with Napoli able to offer the 29-year-old Champions League football and a reunion with De Bruyne, that is very likely the option the Englishman will take.
Napoli would be a great fit for Jack Grealish
Grealish showed at times last season that he still has what it takes to play at the highest level of European football, with Guardiola praising the winger after Man City defeated Nottingham Forest in December.
“We control the game, and Jack gave us that pace. When to accelerate and control, he did it really good. I’m so happy for him. I know his quality. He has attributes to play holding midfield, keep the ball, break the lines and composure,” Guardiola told the press via mancity.com.
Serie A is a lot slower than the Premier League, and if given the freedom to be the winger he was at Aston Villa by Conte, that would see the 29-year-old cause havoc in Italy.
Players such as De Bruyne and Scott McTominay would also help Grealish to settle in should he move to Naples, as the Man City star is likely to experience a bit of a culture shock in the first few weeks.
Grealish is expected to return to training with the rest of Man City’s squad on Monday as he continues his preparation for the 25/26 campaign, and only time will tell where the former Villa star ends up, with the winger hoping Napoli come calling.
