Manchester City stand firm on £15 million demands over Jack Grealish loan transfer | OneFootball

Officials at Manchester City are reportedly standing firm on their view that any potential loan suitor for Jack Grealish must cover his salary in full.

The latest update signals that City have little intention of facilitating a financially favourable deal for any club hoping to sign the England international this summer. Having cost a British-record fee of £100 million just four years ago, Grealish’s high salary now represents a sticking point in negotiations over a temporary departure from the Etihad Stadium.

With interest growing, the club’s insistence on a full wage package puts the onus firmly on the player’s suitors. Grealish has already been left out of City’s behind-closed-doors friendly win over Preston, and is not expected to travel with the squad to Sicily for this Saturday’s meeting with Palermo.

The midfielder’s absence from both games – despite Pep Guardiola fielding two separate line-ups in the former – is further evidence that the 29-year-old has been moved to the periphery of the squad, especially following the arrival of Rayan Cherki.

City’s openness to a loan move has attracted the attention of multiple English clubs, but Everton have now emerged as the first side to table a formal approach. The Merseyside club are actively working on a deal, though financial constraints could prove a significant hurdle.

However, according to the information of reporting from talkSPORT’s Ben Jacobs and Alex Crook, Manchester City want Jack Grealish’s wages covered in full by any club taking him on loan for the forthcoming 2025/26 season.

Everton become the first Premier League club to make a formal approach to City to sign Grealish, with talks still at an early stage, as the former Aston Villa star commands a salary in the region of £300,000-a-week or £15.6 million per year at the Etihad Stadium.

From the side of Grealish, the report insists that the 29-year-old has already accepted that his career at Manchester City is over.

The next steps in the Grealish saga will likely hinge on how far Everton – or any other suitor – are willing to stretch their wage structure. While a permanent transfer is seen as unfeasible due to the player’s valuation, the loan model still presents a sizeable financial risk.

There may be scope for negotiation later in the window, especially if Manchester City lower their demands or Jack Grealish expresses a strong preference for a particular club. From the player’s perspective, the decision appears to have already been made, accepting the prospect of reigniting his career elsewhere, possibly in a system that gives him more consistent starts and attacking freedom.

As the window progresses, further interest could emerge from other top-flight clubs in England or abroad. Tottenham and West Ham have also been linked in recent weeks, while any European bids could depend on whether Manchester City soften their salary stance.