Manchester City attacker Jack Grealish has reportedly told friends that he does not expect to still be with Pep Guardiola's side next season.
The 27-year-old joined the Citizens in a £100m deal from Aston Villa last summer and has made 45 appearances for the club, contributing seven goals and four assists in the process.
Grealish scored his first goal of the 2022-23 campaign against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, netting in the early moments of his side's 3-0 win at Molineux.
The England international still has five years left to run on his contract at Etihad Stadium, but there has been speculation surrounding his long-term future, having found it difficult to make a big impression for the English champions.
According to Football Insider, Grealish has told friends that he does not expect to still be with Man City heading into the 2023-24 campaign.
© Reuters
The attacker is said to believe that he will struggle to play his best football with the Citizens, who rely on 'strict passing patterns', which restrict his ability to use his own ball-carrying qualities.
"I should be scoring more and getting more assists," Grealish told BT Sport following the win over Wolves. "All I can do now is score and get assists.
"I will always have people talking about me because of the amount I got bought for but if you look throughout my career, I haven't scored loads. It's something I want to add to my game and hopefully with this team and in front of these fans I can."
Grealish also thanked Man City boss Pep Guardiola for selecting him against Wolves, having found it difficult to make his mark against Borussia Dortmund last week.
"It's nice. He's been great with me, I should thank him because he gave me the chance to play today after my performance on Wednesday, which wasn't the best," he added.
© Reuters
"I enjoyed that. My goal was a long time coming. My last goal was against West Ham at the back end of last season. And we got a great result against a top team."
Grealish was linked with a number of clubs, including Manchester United, before he made the move to Man City in August 2021.
The playmaker scored 32 goals and registered 43 assists in 213 appearances for Villa, including seven goals and 12 assists in 27 outings during the 2020-21 campaign.
Grealish will soon link up with the England squad for their UEFA Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany before returning to Man City to prepare for a busy October.
Matt Law
