Everton make progress in talks over Grealish loan

Jack Grealish made only seven league starts for Manchester City last season

Everton are progressing in talks to sign winger Jack Grealish on a season-long loan deal from Manchester City.

The 29-year-old has fallen out of favour at City and was left out of their squad for the final Premier League game of the season at Fulham as well as the Club World Cup in the United States.

Sources have told BBC Sport that an agreement over a deal for Grealish, who reportedly earns £300,000-a-week at City, is not yet imminent.

The England playmaker joined City from Aston Villa for what was a British record fee of £100m in August 2021 and has made more than 150 appearances, winning three Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup.

But he made only seven league starts last season as City ended the season without winning a major trophy.

He was left on the bench by manager Pep Guardiola during the FA Cup final defeat by Crystal Palace, with Argentine teenager Claudio Echeverri being given a debut instead.

In June it was understood Grealish wanted a clean break and a permanent new home, but it now seems he may well have to accept a loan move.

He would have preferred to join a team in the Champions League, but no offer has yet been made by the likes of Newcastle United or Tottenham Hotspur.

A move to Everton does not present the opportunity of playing European football but it will give him the chance to rejuvenate his career and take centre stage at their new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Grealish will also be aiming to win his place back in the England squad after admitting last summer he was "heartbroken" by being left out of the Three Lions squad for the 2024 European Championship.

Grealish's diminishing role for City

Noel Sliney, BBC Sport:

It has been a chastening two years for Jack Grealish, since he enjoyed the most successful season of his career.

He had played an integral role in Manchester City's historic Treble in 2022-23, starting the FA Cup final and every one of their seven knockout ties as the club won the Champions League for the first time.

Only six outfield City players spent more time on the pitch than Grealish in the Premier League too.

A hamstring injury halted his momentum early in 2023-24, which the England playmaker ended with more yellow cards (seven) than combined goals and assists (six) across all competitions.

He featured in just 40% of the total minutes played by City despite being in the squad for 82% of them.

His involvement dropped to 30% last term as Grealish's career plummeted to its nadir. Three of his six starts after Christmas came against lower-league opposition in the FA Cup, while 16 starts in total is his fewest in a campaign since he was 20 years old.

Unsurprisingly, it has also been his least productive season in terms of chances created and dribbling success since returning to the Premier League in 2019.

City's team structure has seldom afforded Grealish the license to take on and glide past opponents as he did with such insouciance as the talismanic captain at boyhood club Aston Villa.

The question now is whether the affable 29-year-old can reverse the downward trajectory of his career.

Can Grealish become main man again?

Grealish has grown more accustomed to sitting on the bench than playing football in recent times so, if his move to Everton is completed, his first task will be to get himself physically and mentally ready to play many more minutes of football than he has for the past two seasons.

Everton were rejuvenated following the appointment of Moyes in January, climbing up the table to finish 13th, but have struggled to build on that momentum with significant recruitment this summer.

If he arrives, Grealish would be a marquee signing as the club counts down to their first season at their magnificent new Hill Dickinson Stadium.

England boss Thomas Tuchel has shown with his selections of players such as Marcus Rashford and Kyle Walker that he is not afraid to pick those that are out of favour at their clubs.

That will provide Grealish with hope that the England door has not been fully closed in a World Cup year.

Recapturing his form could well take him across the Atlantic next summer - but if that proves elusive it will likely bring about more disappointment for him when an England tournament squad is announced.

The ball, therefore, would firmly be in Grealish's court at Everton.

The highs...

Grealish was at the forefront of City's Treble celebrations

Grealish said it was a "dream come true" when he became Britain's first £100m player by joining City from Aston Villa in August 2021.

He had been the undoubted star at Villa, coming through the academy to become a free-spirited maverick that helped the team to promotion from the Championship and re-established them in the Premier League.

In his first season at City, Grealish played 26 top-flight games, scoring three goals and providing three assists as they edged out Liverpool by a solitary point to claim the title again.

But the following season is when he really hit his stride, playing an integral role as City finally lifted the holy grail of the Champions League, as well as their third league title on the bounce and the FA Cup.

Grealish played 50 matches in all competitions, netting five times and providing 11 assists - his importance to the side highlighted by the fact he started all seven of their knockout ties in Europe.

"The main thing now is I feel loved," Grealish said during that season. "I feel the manager really trusts me."

He was the face of City's celebrations following their return home from Istanbul with the European trophy and it was anticipated he would kick on again, but his career has since taken an unexpected downward trajectory.

The lows...

Grealish knuckled down after he and team-mate Phil Foden were warned about their conduct by Guardiola having been pictured on a night out in December 2021.

He had a hamstring injury in the 2023-24 campaign and made just 10 starts in all, often overlooked for the quicker and more direct Jeremy Doku when he did regain full fitness.

He ended that season with more yellow cards (seven) than combined goals and assists (six) and featured in just 40% of the total minutes played by City.

Grealish has won 39 England caps but was left out of the Three Lions' squad for the 2024 European Championship, where they were edged out in the final by Spain.

Several people close to the player had told BBC Sport its impact on him should not be underestimated and it had made a "real difference to his confidence".

That appeared to be the case, because it did not get any better last term.

There was a further warning from Guardiola, who said in January: "Do I want the Jack that won the Treble? Yeah I want it, but I try to be honest with myself for that. They have to fight."

In fact, his involvement with the side for last season dropped to 30%, while 16 starts in total is his fewest in a campaign since he was 20 years old - and as a result, unsurprisingly it was his least productive season since 2019.

Former England winger Theo Walcott has suggested Grealish's "incredible talent" had been "coached out of him", but others close to the player disagreed that the manager had in some way drilled the creativity out of him.

Grealish's days were clearly numbered when he was excluded from City's final game of the season at Fulham, despite Guardiola giving an impassioned defence afterwards by saying his large squad means he has to leave out "five or six players" and that it was "nothing personal with Jack".

But he was also dropped from City's squad for the Club World Cup in the United States in the summer, instead working individually at the training ground in Manchester.

During an open training session on 5 August, Grealish was fully engaged in the tactical sequences and did not give off any vibes of a player that wanted to leave.

There has been no public falling out between Grealish and Guardiola, but after the disappointments of the last two seasons, the chance to drag his career back on track with the Toffees is surely one he will relish.