Jack Grealish sends passionate message to Erling Haaland as Man City exit nears

Erling Haaland remains central to Pep Guardiola's plans for Manchester City next season, contrasting sharply with Jack Grealish's position at the club. Manchester City's pre-season preparation is delayed due to their extended involvement in the Club World Cup, which ended earlier than expected with a shock 4-3 loss to Al-Hilal on June 30th. While this loss provides more preparation time, it also meant Guardiola watched Chelsea win the title and secure an £80million windfall, a source of envy.

To mitigate the disappointment, Manchester City have sold over £45million worth of talent this summer, with further departures anticipated. Grealish leads a list of out-of-favour players; his exclusion from the Club World Cup squad was a clear signal he is not part of Guardiola's plans. Several Premier League clubs are interested in signing him. Reports indicate City are prepared to be patient regarding Grealish's future this summer, potentially lowering their asking price, with a loan move considered more likely than a permanent transfer.

Despite the uncertainty, Grealish remains a City player for now. He publicly wished Haaland, Guardiola's newly appointed vice-captain, a happy 25th birthday via an Instagram story on July 21st, calling him "one of the best humans".

Grealish is not the only significant signing expected to leave at a loss this summer; Kalvin Phillips is deemed even more likely to depart after having minimal impact. Academy players Issa Kabore, Luke Mbete, and Callum Doyle also appear set to leave within weeks as Guardiola fulfils his promise to reduce the squad size. While City demonstrated their intent with £112million spent on new signings (Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri) before the Club World Cup, a major part of their summer business involves moving players like Grealish on.