David Ornstein – Everton Open Talks to Sign ‘Brilliant Footballer’

David Moyes’ Everton have opened talks with Manchester City over a potential deal to sign Jack Grealish, who became the first English footballer to be signed for £100 million or more when he moved to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2021, as per The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

Everton Exploring Potential Move to Sign Grealish on Loan

Can ‘The Toffees Afford Grealish?

When Grealish joined Pep Guardiola’s side, he was one of the most sought-after commodities in world football. Hence, he was given a whopping £300,000 per week contract, which most teams will not be able to afford now that he is out of favour in Manchester. Additionally, the England international signed a whopping six-year contract in 2021, meaning that his deal is not due to expire until June 2027 and that his transfer value is still fairly high. Therefore, a permanent exit for the 29-year-old seems near-impossible, even though Everton now have slightly more leeway in terms of PSR as they are set to move into their new stadium.

The Toffees are instead looking to sign the former Aston Villa captain on a season-long loan deal. This could mean that they would only have to pay a portion of Grealish’s wages, that they could evaluate his fitness and ability to perform in Moyes’ system and that they could try and sign him permanently for a cut price in the summer of 2026 as he would only have one year left on his contract.

However, Ornstein notes that the deal is still “complicated” even under these circumstances, which should put less of a financial burden on the Merseyside giants, and that nothing is “guaranteed to materialise” over the coming weeks as talks are still in their early stages.

Would Moving to Everton Be Good for Grealish’s Career?

Grealish was greeted by rapturous applause at City’s open training session on Tuesday, but his time at the Etihad Stadium is surely over. Although he was labelled as a “brilliant footballer” by famous Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher, his time at the club has been frustratingly inconsistent. He started just seven games last season in the Premier League and made 32 appearances in all competitions, the least he has made in a single season since moving to Manchester. During the final weeks of the campaign, Grealish hardly played a minute of football, and he was left out of City’s squad for the newly revamped Club World Cup.

At Everton, he would be considered a star player in terms of his reputation, but he may not start every game for the Toffees. Grealish would be competing with Iliman Ndiaye, who scored 11 times in 37 games for the Toffees last season, for a place on the left wing, whilst Dwight McNeil also looked rejuvenated before his injury last campaign. Moyes’ men lack depth in attacking areas, which means that Grealish should get more than enough game time. If he were to move to Europe, he may be able to find himself a club who are playing in a continental competition this season.