Jack Grealish's whereabouts revealed as Everton given fresh hope after Man City squad omission
Jack Grealish has been left out of Manchester City's squad for their upcoming Asian tour in what can be considered a boost for Everton.
The England international returned to City this summer after spending last season on loan at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton have been credited with an interest in re-signing Grealish, who has just one more year to run on his City contract.
As covered by Goodison News last week, Enzo Maresca has left the door ajar for Grealish to exit this summer.
And it now appears Maresca has given an even bigger indication with regards to Grealish's future.
With the winger now unlikely to play any part in a large chunk of the Citizens' pre-season programme, it could be time for Everton to pounce.
What we know as Jack Grealish left out of Man City squad
It was widely reported on Tuesday that Grealish will play no part for City in their games against Inter Milan, the K-League All-stars and Atletico Madrid.
City will spent their time in the Far East training and playing those three friendlies, before facing Arsenal in the Community Shield back in the UK on 16 August.
Exactly why Grealish has been left out is not clear, but it could be due to the fact he is not deemed fully fit.
The 30-year-old recently said he is feeling close to full fitness, but Maresca has ultimately opted not to take him on the pre-season tour.
Grealish posted a message on Instagram on Tuesday showing him training at Real Mallorca's HQ.
Grealish will now not get the chance to get any first-team minutes under his belt for at least another few weeks - unless he swaps clubs.
What type of deal would Everton work towards for Grealish?
It is quite clear City will not loan Grealish out again, as they did last season.
He may be on high wages at the Etihad Stadium, but City know someone will pay a fairly sizeable sum to sign him.
Grealish was superb in the first half of last season prior to sustaining an injury that cut short his season.
Once described as a "nightmare" for defenders by then-City teammate Kyle Walker, Grealish showed signs of his best as he directly contributed to eight goals in 20 league outings.
If Grealish has his choice, he would surely welcome a return to Merseyside, where he was very much loved.
The question, however, is how much would City want? The £50million right-to-buy option was always a non-starter.
Somewhere around half that fee may be tempting to both clubs, but it may well be that this saga drags on closer to the window closing.