Jack Grealish to Everton: How likely is deal for Manchester City winger? Football Whispers Index score

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Jack Grealish to Everton: How likely is deal for Manchester City winger? Football Whispers Index score
Jack Grealish's rumoured destination is Everton. Photo by Iconsport/ Andrew Yates/ Sportimage/ MB Media

Jack Grealish has made up his mind, and it is Everton he wants.

The 30-year-old has been reduced to two substitute appearances under new Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca this season, and with 12 months left on a £300,000-a-week contract at the Etihad, the writing is on the wall.

Everton, Aston Villa and briefly Sunderland have all been linked, but multiple independent sources confirmed that Grealish's preferred destination is a permanent return to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, where he contributed 2 goals and 6 assists in 20 Premier League appearances on loan last season before a foot injury cut his campaign short.

The Football Whispers Index scores every transfer rumour across five weighted factors. Read how it works here.

Jack Grealish to Everton rated ‘very likely'

Jack Grealish to Everton — Whispers Index Preview
Football Whispers Transfer Index

Jack Grealish to Everton

Very likely
Grealish has told people close to him that Everton is his preferred destination, and with one year left on his £300,000-a-week Man City contract, the deal hinges on Everton bridging a significant wage gap before the 31 August deadline.
Updated
Financial viability17 / 25
Buying club need16 / 20
Player motivation9 / 15
Selling club incentive14 / 20
Market momentum17 / 20
Financial viability17 / 25
  • Grealish's contract expires on 30 June 2027, leaving Manchester City one summer to sell him for a fee rather than lose him for nothing.
  • His current market value sits at around £17m, which would represent roughly 8-9% of Everton's record £196.7m turnover reported for 2024/25.
  • The wage obstacle is stark: Grealish earns £300,000 a week at the Etihad, double Jordan Pickford's £150,000 as Everton's highest-paid player.
  • Everton's losses fell from £53.2m to £8.6m last year under the Friedkin Group, and the Hill Dickinson Stadium is projected to add £10-15m in matchday revenue, but the club's recent points deductions under the old PSR rules mean spending headroom is still carefully managed.
Buying club need16 / 20
  • Iliman Ndiaye, Everton's most versatile attacker, started all 32 of his Premier League appearances last season and finished with 6 goals, 3 assists and a 7.22 FotMob rating across 2,786 minutes, but his primary role is on the right or through the middle rather than the left flank Grealish occupied.
  • Grealish created 38 chances at 2.10 per 90 from the left wing during his loan last season, more than double Ndiaye's 0.97 per 90 and a creative output no other player in the squad can replicate from that side.
  • The Friedkin Group's broader recruitment profile has leaned younger, with Tyrique George, Tyler Dibling and Thierno Barry all aged 20, but Grealish's proven relationship with the club and the system gives him a different case to those developmental signings.
Player motivation9 / 15
  • Grealish has come off the bench in both of Manchester City's games under new manager Enzo Maresca this season, the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal and the Premier League opener against Bournemouth, without starting either.
  • Ben Jacobs reported on 27 August that Grealish has decided he wants Everton over Aston Villa, a preference separately confirmed by Alex Crook and BBC Sport.
  • Angus Kinnear revealed that Grealish chose to continue his rehabilitation at the Hill Dickinson Stadium after his foot injury, even though he was under no obligation to do so.
  • Moving from the Etihad to Everton almost certainly means a pay cut, with no Premier League club outside the traditional top six paying wages near £300,000 a week.
Selling club incentive14 / 20
  • Savio has already completed his move to Tottenham, with Omar Marmoush in the process of doing the same, leaving Grealish and Antoine Semenyo as Maresca's only senior specialist wingers until the Allan deal from Palmeiras is finalised.
  • Grealish's market value has fallen from a peak of £85m when he joined City in August 2021 to roughly £17m, while he has consumed £15.6m a year in wages across a period of diminishing returns.
  • Jeremy Doku's 2-3 week calf injury has left City short of wing cover in the immediate term, which may slow any sale before the deadline.
Market momentum17 / 20
  • Fabrizio Romano named Everton and Aston Villa as the only two realistic destinations for Grealish on 27 August, explicitly ruling out Sunderland despite Sky Sports having reported their interest the previous day.
  • BBC Sport, Sky Sports, Ben Jacobs, Alex Crook and Romano have all independently reported on the move across a 48-hour window, with each confirming Everton as the player's preference.
  • TEAMtalk reported that City are considering an offer for Iliman Ndiaye, valued at around £80m, that could include Grealish as part of a swap, a structure that would bypass the wage obstacle entirely.
The verdict81 / 100
Grealish wants Everton, Everton want Grealish, and City have no long-term use for a 30-year-old bench player on £300,000 a week with 12 months left on his contract, which is why this sits in Very Likely despite no formal agreement being in place.
It happens if Everton find a wage structure Grealish will accept and City will facilitate, whether through a cut-price permanent fee or a swap involving Iliman Ndiaye.
It dies if City decide they need Grealish as emergency wing cover after losing Savio and Marmoush, or if Everton cannot close the gap between £150,000 and £300,000 a week before 31 August.

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Byron is a sports journalist based in South Africa. He has a Media degree from the University of Kwa Zulu Natal and has been writing football content since 2019. Byron is also a sports presenter with experience in radio particularly.

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