Man City outline Jack Grealish intentions as Aston Villa tipped to re-sign former favourite

Jack Grealish has recently spoken of his frustrations at a lack of game time at Manchester City, prompting speculation of a potential reunion with former club Aston Villa.

The 29-year-old has played just 1,520 minutes across all competitions this season, starting only seven matches in the Premier League. Grealish’s 2023/24 numbers weren’t much better, either, as he racked up 1,934 minutes in a reduced role at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola has preferred the likes of Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku on the left flank, leaving Grealish benched for many of City’s most important fixtures. Such treatment isn’t what you’d expect for a player signed for a hefty £100 million transfer fee, but competition for places is fierce.

Speculation over a possible return to Villa has never fully quietened and there’s a sense of unfinished business in B6. It won’t be straightforward for a transfer to materialise, however, as City have outlined their intentions ahead of the summer.

TalkSPORT reports the Cityzens have decided Grealish is not available for a loan deal in the upcoming window, with a permanent transfer the only route away. With Kevin De Bruyne set to leave upon the expiry of his contract, City are wary of losing too much squad depth.

Grealish has spoken openly about his frustrations at a lack of game time but City aren’t open to loaning him out to solve that. Guardiola’s side must prioritise the bigger picture and they aren’t willing to weaken a squad that has already shown signs of weakness throughout what has been a turbulent season.

Aston Villa tipped to sign Jack Grealish

It looks unlikely that Villa will be able to spend big this summer due to PSR limitations, so it could be tricky to land someone of Grealish’s calibre unless there are sales made first. There’s also the elephant in the room: the Villans hold an option to buy fellow left-sided attacker Marcus Rashford from Manchester United for £40 million.

Nonetheless, former Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor has tipped Emery to go out and bring Grealish back. If such a deal were to materialise, there would likely be a mixed reaction from supporters as many didn’t take kindly to his departure four years ago.

“I love Jack, and I’m good friends with him, he’s a special, special player,” Agbonlahor said. “Would I love to see him back at Aston Villa? Yes, I would. I think the story has unfinished business.

“He's an outstanding talent. But it all depends on the owners, it all depends on the manager, and it all depends on Jack. Does Jack want to come? Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't.

“Does Unai Emery want Jack, does he suit his style of play? Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. There's a lot of factors that come into that. And I'm sure we'll hear more on that, maybe in the summer,” Agbonlahor added.

Read on: £45 million duo set to depart Aston Villa as transfer proposals ‘lined up’ for Unai Emery to consider.