Everton chief drops fresh hint over Jack Grealish return - ‘We’ve remained in contact’

Jack Grealish remains ‘in contact’ with Everton as he attempts to clarify his Manchester City future. The England international spent last season on loan with the Toffees in an attempt to relaunch his career.

Grealish , 30, enjoyed a bright start to life on Merseyside, scoring twice and providing six assists in 22 appearances before seeing his loan spell cruelly cut short by a long-term injury.

He opted to stay with Everton throughout his recovery and the club’s CEO Angus Kinnear has since revealed that conversations remain ongoing with the winger, albeit stopped short of confirming whether he would be rejoining the club.

"Jack [Grealish] is a player we've remained in contact with," Kinnear told BBC Radio Merseyside. "It was no secret that he decided to have his rehabilitation done here for the remainder of last season when he didn't have to do that.

"He's a player who's fallen in love with the right shade of blue but ultimately he's a Manchester City player at the moment and we need to respect that.

"The most important thing is he's back. He had a very serious injury, he's worked really hard to get back from that."

Grealish has already made one appearance for Man City this season, having been introduced at the break of the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal.

Speaking about the winger, new City boss Enzo Maresca said : "Jack was inside when we were 2-0 down so the game already became complicated after that, but overall I think Jack was good.

“The ones that are still here and want to work every day and if they deserve they're going to get minutes. At the moment the transfer window is open and we will see what happens."

Grealish joined City from boyhood club Aston Villa back in 2021 for £100m and has gone on to make 158 appearances, albeit has scored just 17 times. He has however helped the club to three Premier League titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup . Grealish’s current deal with City is set to run until next summer.

The 39-time England international caused a bit of a stir over recent days, having been spotted at Cardiff City’s Championship opener against Wrexham, albeit there is no suggestion that he could sign for either of the two sides.

He was however asked by one of the home supporters whether his appearance was a permanent deal or a loan, with Grealish jokingly replying that he didn’t know yet.

He will hope to be in contention this weekend as Man City kick off their Premier League season against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.