Everton have brought in two former loan players permanently, but speculation continues to swirl around Jack Grealish.
Everton pleased fans on Monday as Tyrique George was announced as a new permanent signing.
At the same time, Merlin Rohl was also confirmed to be staying after his loan.
How excited are you by Everton’s signing of Tyrique George on a permanent deal? Can he really kick on now after his loan?
The deal is now official, with the Toffees paying an initial £18m, with £6m to come in potential add-ons… ✅
But many are wondering if three will be the magic number, with Jack Grealish another player who was on loan with the Toffees last season.
It has consistently been reported that Everton would want Grealish back next term.
But a report suggesting he could get a new lease of life at Manchester City means things are now up in the air.
Last night, a new claim was made regarding Everton’s current feeling about Grealish.
Everton still hopeful of Jack Grealish deal despite claims about Man City
Flashscore report that Everton officials remain hopeful of signing Grealish again this summer.
There will be a temptation for Grealish to have a second bite of the cherry at City, with a new manager in Enzo Maresca now at the helm.
If he feels there are minutes there for him, he might look to stay put.
But Everton are said to feel hopeful that Grealish’s experience will count for something.
They believe ‘his leadership, creativity and experience at the highest level would make him a key member of their ongoing project’.
And there is another positive line from the report which suggests the player’s feelings.
Apparently, Grealish thinks ‘he could thrive and is excited by the way the club are growing’.
Grealish saga could drag on
City’s change of manager throws a spanner in the works and is not ideal for Everton, who want to get things done efficiently this summer and have done a good job of that so far.
Grealish had no future at City under Pep Guardiola, but seemingly Maresca thinks there might be something he can work with.
The winger could perhaps not be blamed for wanting to explore that potential opportunity.
So there is a very strong possibility here that there will be no movement with Grealish in the coming weeks, and that he will return to City for their pre-season before taking a final decision.
While it would be a shame if Grealish didn’t come back to Everton, that would at least potentially pave the way for George to get more minutes from the start.
His massive wages being off the bill could also be helpful in terms of offering wages to new players.
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