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Jack Grealish: England man tipped for emotional Aston Villa return as Manchester City exit looms
As speculation grows Jack Grealish is headed for the Manchester City exit door, the question is now where the England midfielder will land if he departs the Etihad Stadium.
With reports the England midfielder has been left out of their FIFA Club World Cup squad, it feels almost inconceivable he will stay much longer after four years on the books.
Despite two years left on his contract, the star has been linked with moves to rival Premier League clubs or abroad entirely after starting just seven top-flight games this season.
The 29-year-old joined City from Aston Villa in 2021 for a £100million British record fee and remains the club’s most expensive signing, but has struggled to find minutes this term.
Pep Guardiola is patiently writing a new chapter at City before a tournament with every game live on DAZN, and is looking to build his squad after a busy January transfer window.
The Spaniard is reportedly said to be chasing AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders and Lyon forward Rayan Cherki and wants both men in time to take to them to the United States.
With Grealish set to be surplus to requirements then, speculation has arisen that he could make an emotional return to Villa, the club he grew up supporting and previously left.
There is a certain romance to that, but how realistic is it? Some reports claim that City will accept a fee as low as £40million in order to get Grealish off their books this summer.
That would surely interest Unai Emery, who has fashioned Villa into a respected force since replacing Steven Gerrard in October 2022, taking them into Europe's upper echelons.
Grealish has not played anywhere near enough at City, but his talent is not in doubt and he would bring plenty of playmaking ability to an upwardly mobile Villa side.
Certainly Villa has a special place in his heart and, despite being booed on his return there with Guardiola’s side, surely he could win over his detractors should he end up there.
Grealish’s enduring affection for Villa was clear when he posted a picture of himself with Olof Mellberg on Instagram.
Next to the image of the pair, the City midfielder wrote: “Not many people that I get starstruck over, but this guy is one! Big Olof Mellberg. One of my boyhood heroes.”
Mellberg signed for Villa from Racing Santander in 2001 for a fee around £5million, which proved to be money well spent as the hard-tackling icon spent seven seasons with the club.
He clocked up 263 appearances, scored eight goals and even captained Villa for several seasons.
Everton, Tottenham, Chelsea and Newcastle are being mentioned in dispatches as possible destinations for Grealish, with Napoli and Bayer Leverkusen are also intriguing options if he chooses to move abroad.
But it is hard to avoid the feeling that a return to Villa Park could be the best fit.
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