Man City make huge Jack Grealish decision with Hugo Viana tasked with signing ‘big name replacement’

Manchester City are reportedly ready to listen to offers for Jack Grealish in 2025 with the club keen to make space for a new arrival and with incoming new sporting director Hugo Viana tasked with signing a ‘big name’ replacement and potentially gearing up for a transfer battle with Manchester United.

The England winger moved to the Etihad Stadium for a fee worth £100m (€119.7m, $129.9m) back in the summer of 2021 – a fee which, to this day, remains the biggest fee ever spent by Manchester City. While Grealish has won the Premier League title in each of his three seasons in the north-west, the jury remains out over whether his signing can truly be considered a success.

Indeed, while he has made 135 appearances for the Cityzens since making the move, Grealish has started just 93 of those and has only scored 14 goals in that time, with a further 20 assists giving him a goal contribution of one every 3.97 appearances.

Now according to a damning report on Football Insider, the reigning Premier League champions have decided to cash in on the player and, while a January exit looks unlikely, all parties are understood to have decided a parting of ways could be in everyone’s best interests at the end of the season.

The 29-year-old has missed their last four matches through injury, but regardless of that, it’s claimed ‘doubts are emerging about his role’ and over his ‘lessening importance to the squad’.

Furthermore, the club are ‘prepared to entertain offers for his signature’, with the winger himself potentially tempted to seek more regular game-time elsewhere.

Former Manchester United scout Mick Brown claims City, about to go in a new direction with Sporting Lisbon sporting director Hugo Viana due to arrive at the Etihad campus over the summer as a replacement for Txiki Begiristain, has also been tasked with signing a replacement.

“I’ve heard City could look to sign a big-name winger as they feel the squad could be strengthened in that position – that would be for next summer,” Brown told Football Insider. “But then where does Grealish fit in the squad? He’d be facing even fewer starts.

“I think, if they do sign a new option, they could look to move him out to make space. They might want to make some money back on him. He’s on big wages as well so that would free up some of the budget.”

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Where could Grealish move next and what has the player said?

With wages of £300,000 a week, Grealish is one of the best-paid stars in English football and on a deal to 2027, City may find it pretty difficult to find a suitor for their all-time record signing.

However, we have previously revealed that were he to become available, then a return back to his former club Aston Villa – whom the player has made a secret of his affection for – would certainly be an option. Indeed, we revealed over the summer how Unai Emery’s side were open to a possible loan-to-buy deal for their former star if the move had been greenlighted.

At the time, City decided against the sale – mainly to see how Savinho would settle into English football following his summer arrival. But with both the Brazilian, Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden – albeit the latter potentially viewed as a more central option by Pep Guardiola – all ahead of Grealish in the pecking order, a move away would certainly make a great deal of sense.

Furthermore, were City to sign a replacement, that could well spell the end for Grealish and we have previously revealed their interest in both Eberechi Eze and Florian Wirtz, who while seen as more options to play through the middle, could spell curtains as far as Grealish is concerned.

Having scored upon his recall to the England squad in September during a Nations League win in Ireland, Grealish received widespread praise for being allowed to play more centrally, with Anthony Gordon especially impressed by what he had seen from the City man at the Aviva Stadium.

“I think it’s really important for his confidence,” Gordon told ITV Sport after the game. “He’s a top player, I think everyone knows that, but I think that position really suits him where he’s that free spirit. It’s where he played at Aston Villa and I thought he was excellent.”

Grealish himself admitted he has used his axing from England’s Euro 2024 squad as additional motivation this season, saying over the summer: “I have to just try to use that as motivation going into this season and try to have the same mentality as I had two years ago.

“In my first season at City, I don’t think I performed as well as I could, and in the second season I played in a lot of the games and that was down to the first season. I had wanted to come back stronger and I certainly did that, so hopefully I can do that again.”

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Meanwhile, Grealish may not be the only player to depart the Etihad next summer with trusted deputy goalkeeper Stefan Ortega being tracked by one of the biggest clubs in his homeland.

The 31-year-old’s deal at the Etihad expires in summer 2026 and with the potential for first-team football on offer back in the Bundesliga, he could well look to push through his exit next year having failed to dislodge Ederson as the club’s first-choice stopper.

Elsewhere, incoming Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is ready to go head-to-head with his close friend Viana over a deal for outstanding young Sporting Lisbon talent Geovany Quenda.

The teenage star has caught the eye this season after exploding into the Primeira Liga champions’ first-team plans and we understand both Manchester rivals are keen on a deal to bring the player to the Premier League next year.

Any sale of Grealish could pave the way for City to move in on Quenda as a result.

Finally, City are also seen as a strong contender to sign one of the Bundesliga’s top attackers, with the star also strongly linked with Liverpool and having been watched by Bayern Munich.

Grealish contribution at Man City season by season