Credit: Imago

Dan Godfrey

Sun 23 March 2025 6:30, UK

Manchester City record signing Jack Grealish could make a sensational return to boyhood side Aston Villa this summer.

Grealish is at a crossroads at the Etihad Stadium having been regularly snubbed for action in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola.

The England forward left Villa Park in a gargantuan £100million deal for Man City back in 2021 and has gone on to lift six trophies including three Premier League titles.

Aston Villa interested in Grealish return

Aston Villa have been very bold in their recent transfer dealings, bringing in a wealth of high-calibre players – the most recent success story the seven goals already fired by January loanee Marco Asensio.

Marcus Rashford has been given a new lease of life in different surroundings via his loan from Manchester United, and Unai Emery appears to have no issue with managing players who have graced the elite tiers for some time.

Grealish would be a different story – he still bleeds claret and blue but a return to Villa Park could divide opinion. According to the Sunday Mirror’s print edition [23 March, pg 78], the Villans retain an interest in the 29-year-old for what could be a cut-price fee.

AC Milan are reported to be leading the charge for a preferable loan deal for Grealish, whose contract with the champions runs until 2027, but City could consider a £40million permanent offer.

This is a huge drop from the nine-figure sum they handed over to Villa four years ago, since helping to shape their entire squad to make a long-awaited Champions League qualification last year.

Grealish deal could depend on current loans

Whether Villa make a serious go of looking to sign Grealish again could hinge on the futures of Rashford and Asensio.

Rashford, as it stands, is expected to return to Man United and look to get his career back on track at Old Trafford, though conversations will have to be held.

The same goes for Asensio, whose playing time situation at parent club Paris Saint-Germain – who he will face in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in a Villa shirt – is more parallel with that of Grealish’s situation at City.

Milan maintain positive relations with Guardiola’s side, having taken Kyle Walker on loan during the recent winter transfer window, with the defender starting England’s first game under Thomas Tuchel.

Grealish was not included, similarly to Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad in Germany, which could raise alarm bells for the player himself to get out of the Etihad despite the plethora of trophies he has gathered.

Alongside Milan, Newcastle United are thought to be interested in Grealish. Eddie Howe will be looking to considerably strengthen his side now they have got their first major trophy of a generation under the belts with the Carabao Cup last weekend.