Jack Grealish told to take Jude Bellingham transfer route as speculation over Manchester City exit continues

Former England defender Stuart Pearce believes a transfer abroad could help Grealish rediscover his best form. The winger is expected to leave City this summer after making only seven Premier League starts last season and being left out of their squad for the Club World Cup.

The likes of Jeremy Doku, Savinho and January signing Omar Marmoush were preferred to Grealish by manager Pep Guardiola during the 2024-25 campaign and the Cityzens are reportedly happy to take a loss on the £100 million (€115 million/$133.9 million) they handed over to Villa back in 2021.

Pearce was speaking to BoyleSports, who offer the latest Premier League odds, and said: “I wouldn't say Jack Grealish could go abroad and become a megastar, but I certainly think going abroad wouldn't be a bad thing for him.

“Every time I see an English player going abroad, I think it's good for the national team personally, as well as for the players' experience and everything.

“A lot of players that we've seen going abroad in recent times, Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham, they've flourished.

“It’s good to show that we've got players that are prepared to go into Europe and get life experience abroad. I think Jack Grealish would benefit from that. “The one thing he's got to do, footballing-wise, is he's got to deliver more goals and more assists from the position he plays in.

“When I look at England at the moment, we've got a centre forward in Harry Kane and mobility is probably not his forte.

“So you need players on either flank being very mobile to go beyond him. That's not Jack's game either. So that holds him back a little bit at international level.

“But at the moment, he can't get in the international squad because his former club level isn't good enough. We need someone like Jack Grealish to be playing well enough at club level to be in the international fold on a regular basis.”

Grealish will hope his future away from the Etihad Stadium is sorted quickly. He has been linked with reunions with both Harry Kane and Kevin De Bruyne at Bayern Munich and Napoli respectively, while speculation has also suggested he could remain in the Premier League with boyhood club Villa.