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Jack Grealish has been linked with a shock return to Aston Villa
Aston Villa are reportedly considering an eye-catching effort to try and bring local hero Jack Grealish back to Villa Park this summer The 39-time England international left his boyhood club to join Manchester City in August 2021 for a blockbuster figure of £100m which at the time made him the most expensive British footballer in history ahead of the likes of Harry Maguire and Gareth Bale.
Grealish was widely regarded as one of the most exciting talents in the country, with many pundits feeling he was deserving of a more prominent role in the England setup rather than just being an impact substitute at Euro 2020.
“City are the best team in the country with a manager considered to be the best in the world. It’s a dream come true to be part of this club,” said Grealish at the time. Competing for major trophies is something that I wanted to do. It was something I couldn’t turn down. Playing in the Champions League was a massive thing for me, I haven’t done that yet. When I was sitting there on a Tuesday or Wednesday night last year it was just what I wanted to do. To be able to do it with this club is going to be a dream. The way this team is set up to play suits me down to a tee, the way the manager likes to play suits me.”
Grealish has won the Champions League, three Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup while he’s heading to Wembley to chase another FA Cup later this month. However, in terms of his progress on the pitch it’s debatable whether he’s become a greater player or someone that has stagnated slightly since making the move to one of the country’s most successful clubs.
Could Jack Grealish leave Manchester City this summer?
Jack Grealish is expected to leave Manchester City this summer after four mixed seasons at the Etihad Stadium in terms of his individual performances.
Overall, the 29-year-old has made 156 appearances for City across all competitions, contributing 17 goals and 23 assists. He failed to make the England squad for Euro 2024 last summer due to a lack of game time and this season has fallen further down the pecking order in Manchester with just 19 league appearances, and only seven starts.
He’s been an unused substitute in the last four games and is yet to register a single assist across all competitions in the entirety of 2025. While Grealish is much more difficult to define than simply a number player due to his all-round, creativity, fast feet and ability to take on defenders. It’s clear we see much less of that in his game than we did during his days at Villa.
This season for example he’s only completed three successful take-ons leading to a shot attempt while at Villa in his final season, he completed 14. In fact, in his whole time at City he’s completed 14 take-ons leading to a shot in four seasons which is the exact same number as both of his final two seasons at Villa Park.
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Meanwhile, his shot-creating actions are at 47 which is significantly lower than the 198 he managed in the West Midlands, via Fbref. Grealish appears to be surplus to requirements at City and could work his way back into the England squad in a similar vein to Marcus Rashford if he was to make the move back to Villa park. Football Insider has not stated an exact asking price for Grealish but states City would be willing to listen to different types of offers particularly if there’s substance behind reports claiming that they want to replace the England international with Rodrygo.
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