Manchester City find themselves in the unusual position of greatly needing the January transfer window for a boost.
Their season suffered a difficult start when Ballon d’Or winner Rodri picked up a season-ending ACL injury in September, but few could have predicted the unfortunate streak to come: one win in 12 games from the end of October until late December in all competitions, featuring a humbling nine losses.
It means City go into January looking for fresh faces, but any new arrivals may be accompanied by headline departures. One big name in particular is reportedly catching attention from the continent.
Jack Grealish fancied by Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund
City forward Jack Grealish is being eyed by Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, according to a report by The Sun.
The former England international – who holds the record for being the joint-most expensive English player of all time – has appeared just 15 times in the Premier League this season, only six of those being from the start.
It is thought that such a move would appeal to the 29-year-old, to kickstart a career that has stuttered in recent months.
Finding that spark at the Etihad Stadium appears increasingly unlikely, given manager Pep Guardiola’s recent quotes about the winger.
Speaking after the West Ham game earlier this month, the City boss said: “Savinho is in better shape and everything than Jack, and that’s why I played Savinho.”
Despite those concerns over Grealish’s fitness, along with Inter and Dortmund, he is also reportedly admired by Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, recent additions like Jeremy Doku and Savinho, the brilliance of Phil Foden and the emergence of talents such as James McAtee and Oscar Bobb all point towards Grealish being pushed further and further away from starting XI considerations, despite being capable of playing a number of positions.
His competitors all have age on their side, meaning now might be as good a time as any to take on a new challenge, especially given his top levels are still fresh in the minds of teams like Inter and Dortmund.
Such offers won’t remain on the table forever for a player of Grealish’s age. Given the first-team picture, now might be the moment to take the plunge.
