"He is here and it is my duty to coach Jack and to try to get the best," Enzo Maresca said, and he did not close the door on a summer move for Jack Grealish. The Manchester City winger is into the final year of his reported £300,000-a-week contract, has made only two substitute appearances so far this season, and Everton are still in contact as deadline day approaches.

Maresca leaves the door open

Maresca's comments were followed by a clearer hint that the situation is still live. "Then it is one more week to go and we will see what happens. Not only with Jack but also other players," he said to the BBC.

That leaves Grealish in a strange spot. He has already been used twice this season, first for 49 minutes in the Community Shield and then for eight minutes in the Premier League win over Bournemouth, so he is not frozen out completely. But the usage so far points to a limited role, not a settled one.

Everton's interest also stays on the board. Angus Kinnear said the club have remained in contact with Grealish, and added that supporters and the team embraced him during his loan spell.

Everton's contact and Grealish's recent record

Kinnear's longer view is easy to read without making it into a promise. "He is a player who has fallen in love with the right shade of blue, but ultimately he is a City player and we have to respect that," he said. He also said the loan spell gave Everton "a good platform to have a longer term conversation with him."

That loan spell is part of why Everton keep their name in the discussion. Grealish had two goals and six assists in 20 appearances before an Achilles tendon injury ended the spell in January. He also claimed the Premier League's Player of the Month award for August during that run.

A return to Hill Dickinson Stadium is described as the most viable option if he leaves City, but no concrete offers have been made so far this summer. The key point is still the same one Maresca left hanging in the air: Grealish is at Manchester City now, and the window still has a week left.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →