Former Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish continues to be linked with a move away from Manchester City after struggling for minutes on the pitch this season.
The Solihull born attacking midfielder, who used to live in Barnt Green, has been linked with a move to Newcastle United in recent months and was spotted in the North East this weekend. Grealish, who made over 200 appearances for Villa scoring 32 times, has struggled to nail down a spot in City's starting XI this season, having made the move to the Etihad for a whopping £100million back in 2021.
Coinciding with City's struggles this season, Grealish has found game time hard to come by and could be on the move this summer if reports are to be believed.
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Birmingham Live has taken a look at transfer news and speculation regarding the former Villa captain.
Newcastle United 'offered' Grealish
Our sister title, ChronicleLive understands Newcastle United could be offered the chance to sign Grealish this summer. The England international was linked with a move to St. James' Park at the start of January, before Eddie Howe played down those links.
The report claims Grealish's representatives are scouring the market for a move away from the Etihad, with City open to offers for his services. The 29-year-old has made 26 appearances in all competitions this season, 16 of those coming in the top flight.
However, just six of those appearances have been starts, with there serious doubts over his future at the reigning Premier League champions. He has two-years left on his current City contract and the asking price is said to be some distance away from the £100m they paid Villa for his services back in 2021.
However, given his current wages are in the region of £300,000 per week, there'd need to be a considerable reduction if he were to move to St. James' Park.
Grealish 'spotted' in the North East
Following Man City's win over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup on Saturday, Grealish was given the following day off after playing the full 90 minutes against the Pilgrims. Guardiola's men had to come from behind to win the tie 3-1 after Maksym Talovierov had given the visitors the lead on the 38th minute.
A brace from Nico O'Reilly put City ahead before Kevin De Bruyne put the result beyond any doubt in the 90th minute. Grealish was reportedly spotted in a pub near Sunderland enjoying some down time with no Champions League fixture in midweek.
The England international was seen at the North Biddick Social Club in Washington, according to ChronicleLive, which sells pints for less than £3. It's unclear why Grealish was in the North East at the weekend, but given the recent links to Newcastle United, his trip has fuelled further transfer speculation.
Guardiola's apology
City boss Guardiola apologised to Grealish earlier this season for his lack of game time. He said: "I'm so sorry he doesn't get the minutes that maybe he deserves. But in the end, the contributions from Jeremy or Savinho have been massive this season, this is the only reason why.
"It's not personal, or that I don't like Jack, or I don't have confidence in him. Of course, when you play one player more minutes than another, you have more confidence than him right now.
"But I know his attributes, it's just for the fact that for the impact of Savinho. It's Savinho's first season - his impact in goals, and assists, the last game at Arsenal made an incredible step-up defensively and challenging duels. And this is the reason why."
Grealish on his struggles last season
Grealish was left out of Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro2024 and he admitted last season was a difficult year for him. The former Villa captain said: "Last year, the whole year itself, it was weird because my little daughter was born, but apart from that it was one of the most difficult years.
"Probably the most difficult year of my life for many reasons, on and off the pitch. I found it really difficult. It’s a New Year now, and hopefully I can kick on from here.”
