Jack Grealish Returns to Everton on Loan
Jack Grealish is heading back to Everton. Deadline day, familiar face, huge gamble.
The 30-year-old will return to Hill Dickinson Stadium on a season-long loan from Manchester City, with his medical booked for Tuesday morning as the window ticks into its final hours.
Ndiaye out, Grealish back in
This move starts with a loss. Iliman Ndiaye is on his way to Manchester City in a deal worth up to $88 million (£65 million), ripping a key attacker out of David Moyes’ plans just days before the deadline. Everton needed a replacement immediately.
So they went straight to the source.
Within hours of agreeing Ndiaye’s exit, Everton opened talks with City for Grealish, a player Moyes already trusts and a crowd that already adores. The agreement is in place, subject to the medical and final paperwork before Tuesday’s cut-off.
Grealish knows the place well. He spent last season on loan with the Toffees, scoring two goals and adding six assists in 22 appearances before a stress fracture in his foot ended his campaign in January. The injury came at exactly the wrong time, just as he had found rhythm and a real bond with the stands.
Even so, he left a mark. His work rate, his swagger on the ball, his willingness to take responsibility — all of it turned him into a genuine fan favourite. Everton never really let the connection fade, staying in touch with him through the summer while Sunderland and Aston Villa circled with interest of their own.
Now, with Ndiaye gone and the clock against them, that relationship has turned into action.
A financial statement from Everton
The numbers show how badly Everton want this to work.
They are set to cover around 90% of Grealish’s wages, a major outlay given his salary sits close to $405,000 (£300,000) a week. There is no loan fee attached, but the structure of the deal is still heavy: big wages now, a big decision later.
Built into the agreement is an option to buy next summer for $67.5 million (£50 million), timed to coincide with the end of his City contract. If Grealish hits, Everton have first shot at turning this reunion into something permanent.
For City, it closes a chapter that never fully became what the price tag promised. Grealish arrived from Aston Villa in 2021 for a then-British-record $135 million (£100 million), won trophies under Pep Guardiola and played his part in those successes, but his minutes have dwindled in recent seasons.
With his deal running down and his wages limiting permanent bidders, this second loan to Everton clears space in City’s squad and wage bill. For Grealish, it offers something he has been short of: a clear path to regular football.
What Grealish gives Moyes again
At full tilt, Grealish remains a nightmare to defend. A fast, aggressive ball-carrier who drives at full-backs, draws fouls, and drags defenders out of shape, he opens passing lanes and shooting angles for everyone around him.
His first spell under Moyes showed he can still do it away from the Etihad. He pressed, tracked back, and played with an edge that the Everton crowd instantly recognised. The foot injury cut that story short, but he has since recovered and already featured briefly for City this season.
Now he walks back into a dressing room being reshaped on the fly.
Everton have also agreed a deal worth more than $54 million (£40 million) for USMNT striker Folarin Balogun from Monaco, while Beto heads to Fiorentina for $23 million (£17 million). The attack that starts this season will look very different from the one that ended the last.
Grealish slots into that rebuild as the creative fulcrum from wide, the player expected to knit together Balogun’s movement, Moyes’ structure, and the energy of a fanbase that already knows his name.
A loan with a clear fork in the road
Because Grealish’s contract at City expires next summer, this loan is more than a short-term patch. If the move clicks for both sides, Everton can trigger that $67.5 million (£50 million) option and turn a reunion into a long-term commitment.
For now, the priority is simpler: get him through the medical, get the documents signed, get him back in blue before the window slams shut.
City will move on with their refreshed squad. Everton regain a player who felt at home in their colours. And Grealish, at 30, steps into what could be the defining season of his career — one last chance to prove he is still a leading man, not just an expensive supporting act.
