Everton interested in Jack Grealish deal on right terms but hold fitness concerns over Man City forward | OneFootball

Everton would be open to a deal for Manchester City winger Jack Grealish if the terms are right but concerns exist over the Englishman’s fitness record, as per a new report.

Grealish, 30, spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Everton, with the winger’s contribution during that period leaving a lasting impression on the club despite a serious injury cutting short what had been a promising stint at Goodison Park.

His injury, however, severely hampered Everton’s attacking prospects in the second half of the campaign, with the club’s form dipping considerably in his absence – a detail that has informed their thinking as they now weigh up whether to pursue a second deal for a player who, at his best, can clearly add genuine quality to their squad.

The financial dimension complicates any potential arrangement considerably, with Grealish entering the final 12 months of his contract at Manchester City and turning 31 in September – a combination of contractual and age-related factors that shapes how both clubs approach the economics of a further temporary deal.

Boyland: Fitness uncertainty and £15M wages create significant hurdles for Everton

According to Patrick Boyland of The Athletic, Everton would be interested in a deal for Grealish on the right terms, but the move would need to make financial sense for the Merseyside club before they committed to a second arrangement.

Grealish earns close to £15 million a year, with Everton having subsidised around three-quarters of that salary during his previous loan stint – an outlay that the report describes as “considerable for a player of his age, whose truly best years may well be behind him”.

Boyland adds that another key factor in Everton’s thinking is the question of when Grealish actually returns to full fitness, with no guarantee yet established over his return date or whether he will definitely be fit for the start of the new campaign.

Everton are said to want him ready to play more or less immediately rather than taking on a player who requires further weeks of rehabilitation before contributing, and the club are expected to play a waiting game during the final stage of his recovery before deciding whether to push ahead with a deal – a pragmatic stance that reflects both the financial risks involved and the squad planning demands of a club preparing for European football next season.

What does Everton’s interest mean for Grealish’s Man City future?

The report frames Everton’s interest as genuine but firmly conditional, and that distinction matters considerably in the context of how Manchester City approach the final year of Grealish’s contract and the broader question of whether he has a future at the Etihad Stadium under new Blues boss Enzo Maresca.

It is understood that Maresca – with his new backroom staff – will assessing every member of City’s first-team squad in pre-season later this month, with Grealish’s situation among the more delicate personnel decisions the new manager must resolve given the combination of his age, his wage level and the uncertainty surrounding his fitness return date.

Director of football Hugo Viana will also have a view on whether retaining Grealish through the final year of his deal or facilitating a departure this summer better serves City’s long-term interests, with the salary implications of keeping a player on close to £15 million a year – regardless of his involvement – a not insignificant factor in a summer already defined by record-breaking expenditure on Anderson.

Whether Grealish’s recovery timeline ultimately aligns with Everton’s desire for an immediately available player, and whether City and Everton can agree terms that make financial sense for all parties, will determine whether a reunion materialises – or whether Grealish’s next chapter lies elsewhere as he enters the final and potentially defining year of his time at Manchester City.