Jack Grealish tempted by Premier League transfer as Manchester City trim wage bill | OneFootball

Manchester City’s Jack Grealish is attracted to a possible move to Tottenham Hotspur this summer but there remain doubts over whether the north Londoners can afford the England international’s salary, as per a new report.

Grealish has fallen out of favour at the Etihad Stadium and has barely played in his fourth season under Pep Guardiola, who has made his feelings clear over the 29-year-old after leaving the forward on the bench in the FA Cup final and out of the matchday squad altogether in City’s final Premier League fixture against Fulham.

A club-record £100 million signing from 2021, Grealish enjoyed his best season in a Manchester City in the club’s historic 2022-23 treble-winning season but has since failed to kick on from the heroics that made him so crucial to Guardiola en route to the feat.

After being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s first two squads as England manager, time is running out for Grealish to prove himself to the newly-appointed Three Lions boss as he looks to revitalise his international career and stake a claim in the England squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Newcastle have expressed an interest in Grealish and remain one of the few clubs in the Premier League that can match the winger’s staggering wages, with the former Aston Villa captain understood to be earning around £300,000-per-week at the Etihad Stadium.

Grealish admitted to personal struggles derailing him from hitting his true potential in the 2023-24 season but Guardiola has every reason to be frustrated with his record signing, who has arguably only justified the financial investment made to bring him to Manchester in one of his four seasons at the Etihad Stadium.

Hugo Viana is set to take over from Txiki Begiristain as Manchester City’s director of football in the coming months and it is believed trimming the current wage bill features high on the priority list for the club’s board ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

City are eyeing four to five new signings in the summer transfer window and after another frustrating season where he barely played and struggled for fitness, Grealish could do with a move away – whether on loan or permanently – to get his career back on track.

Football Transfers have revealed that Grealish is attracted by the prospect of joining Tottenham Hotspur but there remain doubts over whether the north London club can afford the England international, who maintains a strong relationship with Tottenham sporting director Johan Lange, who brokered the attacker’s switch to Manchester City in 2021.

Grealish will inevitably have to take a pay cut if he wants to stay on in the Premier League and with Tottenham back in the UEFA Champions League courtesy of their UEFA Europa League glory, the Manchester City forward would understandably be tempted by the possibility of moving down south.

However, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has drawn heavy criticism from the club’s fanbase over the years on not backing managers in the transfer market amidst uncertainty over the future of manager Ange Postecoglou, who could be facing the sack despite European glory owing to Tottenham’s disastrous 17th Premier League finish last term.

Grealish would instantly improve Tottenham’s attack and the north London outfit certainly represents a good option for the Birmingham-born forward, who needs to be playing regularly if he is to stake a claim in Guardiola’s lineup – whether that is at Manchester City or elsewhere – as it remains to be seen what the summer holds for Grealish.