Exclusive: Everton plan to keep Grealish, but will not trigger his buyout clause.

2026-02-12 08:50

According to an exclusive report by the British media outlet i on Wednesday, Everton plans to retain Manchester City left winger Jack Grealish, whose loan spell ends this summer.

The 30-year-old Grealish came through Aston Villa's youth academy and joined Manchester City in August 2021 for a transfer fee of £100 million. He has only contributed 17 goals and 23 assists in 157 appearances for City, a performance far below his price tag.

Since joining Everton on loan in August 2025, Grealish's form has quickly recovered. Before being sidelined for the season earlier this year due to a stress fracture in his left foot, he had made 22 appearances for Everton, scoring 2 goals and providing 6 assists.

Grealish earned high praise from within Everton for his outstanding performances during his loan spell. However, Everton have no intention of triggering the £50 million option to buy in his contract: in their view, this amount is more of a book benchmark set by Manchester City for financial accounting purposes and does not reflect the player's current market value.

The report further points out that Everton currently prefer to retain Grealish through a permanent transfer or a loan extension. Under the permanent transfer option, the club's asking price for Grealish is between £20 million and £25 million.

Manchester City are also open to Grealish leaving and are prepared to begin negotiations at the end of the season. Grealish himself would also like to continue playing for Everton, as he thoroughly enjoys playing in the Premier League under David Moyes.

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