BREAKING: Man City confirms Jack Grealish will be leaving the club next season
Pep Guardiola is set to make a decision on the long-term future of Jack Grealish at Man City amid plans for a squad overhaul.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the 29-year-old still has a role to play in the squad at the Etihad.
However, he is seen as a potentially sellable asset who could be moved on to make room for new additions come the end of the season.
This comes after Brown told Football Insider that City have lined up five big-name signings amid growing concerns about key areas of their team.
The futures of the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and John Stones remain up in the air, while they are planning to oversee a major overhaul of the squad this summer.
City have previously raised concerns about Grealish’s performances this season as he has struggled to make a significant impact when called upon by Guardiola.
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The winger has scored just two goals and provided five assists in 26 appearances across all competitions so far and has failed to find the net in 16 Premier League games.
England’s Jack Grealish is applauding their fans after the International Friendly match between England and Bosnia & Herzegovina at St. Ja…
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Jack Grealish could leave Man City after Pep Guardiola decision
Brown told Football Insider in January that City could accept cut-price offers for Grealish and replace him with a new wide option as part of their squad overhaul.
Now, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, explained that his exit will depend on what Guardiola wants from his performances.
“Jack Grealish is a special type of player, for me,” he told Football Insider.
“They’ve got to decide what they want to see from him.
“Do they want him to drag the ball up the park and stretch the width of the game to provide more space for his teammates?
“He does that job fantastically well.
“But if you want a player who’s going to run at full-backs, cause havoc, hit the space in behind and get the ball into the box, then they’ll have to look elsewhere.
“So that’s going to be a decision for Pep Guardiola to make, and if it’s the latter option, then Grealish will be sold to make way for a new signing.
“He should be scoring more goals, because he’s a good enough player to do that.
“But you have to look at more than that. When the ball goes out to him, teams double up on him to stop him doing what they know he can do.
“Then that leaves space for the likes of Foden, Silva, De Bruyne to operate in and change the game.
“Nine times out of ten that goes under the radar because he’s not dribbling past his man.
“I think Pep knows that and knows what he can get out of him, but it’s going to be his decision about whether he wants something different.
“It looks as if there are going to be major changes there in the summer, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Grealish was going to be a part of that.”
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Pep Guardiola is set for an overhaul of his Man City squad. (Credit: Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola open to offers for James McAtee
Amid speculation about a number of players in the current Man City squad, James McAtee has now been linked with a permanent exit from the Etihad.
Crystal Palace, West Ham and Bayer Leverkusen all targeted McAtee in January, among other clubs, but were unable to agree a deal for his signature.
Now, Brown has told Football Insider that City are open to offers for McAtee despite his increased involvement of late and could let him leave in the summer.
There have been questions about whether the 22-year-old is of the desired quality to play a long-term role in this Man City side with everybody fit and firing.
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