Grealish move to Everton hangs in balance with star favouring Tottenham – exclusive

Jack Grealish is not ruling out a move to Everton, but is happy to wait on other offers and with TEAMtalk told the Manchester City star does not want to drop too far below the elite level, Tottenham Hotspur are now regarded as a club he would be very much open to joining.

It has been a long summer for the Manchester City attacker, who has known since the end of last season that he was unlikely to be in the plans for this term.

A loan switch was always perceived to be more likely than a permanent move, and Grealish has preferred the option of remaining in England to a move abroad.

As such, he has had to show patience while waiting to decide on the best route for him to take next season.

As we exclusively first revealed on May 26, Everton are giving serious thoughts to a move for Grealish and are described by sources as being in the frame longest, while it is still felt they remain in the lead for his signature – despite only just making formal contact.

However, both Tottenham and Aston Villa have both been in the picture too since the transfer window opened, in terms of understanding the terms he would be looking for.

As a result, Grealish wants to give himself the best chance of bouncing back to top form, but is also cautious of dropping too far from the elite level he has been playing at since moving to Etihad Stadium four years ago.

He has won the Champions League, while also being crowned a Premier League champion three times and collecting an FA Cup winners’ medal in 2023.

There is some hope he could yet play himself into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for next summer’s World Cup if the 2025/26 season goes well – and as such, Grealish has been hoping a club with European football could make an offer…

➡️ Ranking all Premier League clubs by transfer net spend in 2025: Tottenham fifth; Everton mid-table…

Tottenham move would tempt Grealish – sources

As a result, Tottenham is a move Grealish would be open to, particularly as it is understood he would like the chance to move to London, but Spurs have not yet made an offer.

Sources have indicated there have been discussions this week about the prospect of making a move, in the wake of Son Heung-min leaving the club. His departure has opened up the club’s wage bill and as part of signing Grealish, his £300,000-a-week wages would need accommodating.

Formally, it is insisted that there has been no contact, but Spurs have made inroads on the situation as Everton attempt to close out a deal ahead of the new season kick-off. Villa have also retained an interest in the background.

The potential to move to clubs in Italy and Germany has been mooted in the past two months, but at this stage no progress has been made on either front as Grealish opts to remain in England as a preference – if the conditions suit his needs.

Chelsea target refuses to rule out joining Tottenham in search for Son heir

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly on the lookout for an heir to club legend Son Heung-min amid their dire need for a new playmaker too, with Spurs expected to be busy during the final few weeks of this summer window.

The Lilywhites take on PSG in a highly-anticipated UEFA Super Cup clash next week, but as things stand, Thomas Frank will battle the French treble winners with a severely weakened squad.

Son’s £20 million move to LAFC brought an end to what was an historic 10 years at Spurs for the winger, culminating in the 33-year-old waving an emotional goodbye to an adoring Korean crowd in Seoul last weekend.

Unfortunately, the tribute was marred by James Maddison suffering a serious injury to the same knee which kept him out of the Europa League final last season.

Maddison was forced off on a stretcher, with Frank describing the issue as “bad” in what was a devastating blow for the Dane ahead of his imminent first competitive game in charge.

After just 90 minutes against Newcastle, Frank lost Son to the MLS and Maddison swiftly returned to the treatment table, with Daniel Levy now tasked with somehow filling the voids left by both men.

In an ideal world, Levy and technical director Johan Lange would bring in a versatile-enough attacking option to cover both positions, if they can’t sign two new attackers.

There are a few intriguing possibilities in this regard, with reports suggesting that Liverpool sensation Harvey Elliott could emerge as a target for Tottenham. However, the north Londoners face stiff competition from RB Leipzig, who are now moving for the England Under-21 international after his stellar Euros.