Jack Grealish ‘has to take pay cut’ at Everton as he accepts Man City exit
Manchester City star Jack Grealish continues to be linked with a move to Everton.
The former England international has been unable to recapture his Aston Villa form since his £100million move to the Etihad Stadium.
He is a fringe player in Manchester and may need a move to revive his career, as he cannot get regular game time under Pep Guardiola.
Grealish made 32 appearances in all competitions last season, notching three goals and five assists in a total of 1,521 minutes.
Grealish needs pay cut for Everton switch
Grealish may just need a change of scenery to get his career back on track, and David Moyes could be the spark.
Alex Crook has claimed that Grealish has accepted that he has no future with Guardiola’s side, but would have to reduce his wages if he were to join the Hill Dickinson Stadium outfit.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (29 July, 8:40 am), he said: “I’m told he has accepted that his City career is over.
“Everton and West Ham are two of the clubs keen on signing him on loan from the Premier League, but I think there is going to be some negotiating to be done.
“He earns around £300,000-a-week, obviously that would be too rich for Everton, so, either he is going to have to take a pay cut, or Manchester City, if they do agree to loan him out, would have to supplement those wages.”
Everton could be the perfect destination for Grealish
The main reason that Grealish has not thrived under Guardiola is that he is just a cog in the machine, designed to function for Erling Haaland.
The 29-year-old needs to be the main man in a team like he was at Villa Park, rather than just a supporting cast member.
He would be given the freedom that he needs to shine at Everton, whether that is as a floating number 10 or on the left flank.
Grealish would bring a creativity and a flair that the Toffees lack at the moment, with arguably only Iliman Ndiaye able to produce the kind of magic that the City star can when he is at his best.
He would be exactly the kind of marquee signing that the Friedkin Group need to kickstart the new era at the new stadium.
Whether the Blues can reach a deal with City, or with the player himself, remains to be seen but it is a transfer that makes sense for all parties involved.
Grealish would be allowed to thrive at a club where he would be loved, without the shackles of the Guardiola system, and City get the player off the books.
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