Jack Grealish is still at Manchester City, but the talk around him has moved again after Sunderland submitted a loan proposal. Enzo Maresca has not closed the door in public, saying it is his duty to coach Grealish until the day he is not here and that there is still one week left in the window.

Maresca's guarded stance

The City manager's wording matters because it leaves room for movement without promising anything. Maresca said, "Jack (Grealish), again, until the day he isn't here, it's my duty to try and coach Jack and to try to get the best from him. It's one more week to go (until the transfer window closes) and we'll see what happens, not only with Jack, but with more players."

Pep Guardiola has also previously described Grealish's omission as "nothing personal", which puts the current uncertainty in football terms rather than disciplinary ones.

Grealish has still been used in City's first two games this season, coming on as a second-half substitute in both. That is not the profile of a player frozen out completely, but it is also not the usage pattern of someone locked into the starting XI. At 30, he is at the point where a loan is about minutes and role rather than development.

Sunderland's case for the loan

The move makes sense from Sunderland's side too. They finished 7th last season and are in the Europa League this season, so the club are not shopping for a token addition. A player with Grealish's top-flight background fits the level of ambition they have shown.

Sunderland have also been pursuing Igor Paixão in parallel, which suggests the recruitment work is not built around one name alone. Grealish remains the bigger headline, though, because a loan proposal for a player of his status is still a clear sign that the conversation has moved beyond speculation.

What happens next depends on how Manchester City view the rest of the window, and there is still a week left. If Grealish stays, the first marker will be whether he gets more than the two substitute appearances he has already made this season.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →