Fabrizio Romano has provided an emphatic response to staggering claims that Jack Grealish might leave Manchester City and join Chelsea in the summer.
Grealish has had a frustrating season, having had to fight with new arrival Jeremy Doku for the starting spot at left wing. The Englishman has managed 35 appearances in all competitions so far, though not all of those have been starts.
Grealish is struggling to decide games for Man City too, having notched just three goals and three assists all season.
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In recent weeks there has been shock speculation that City might look to offload their £100million signing this summer.
Grealish has been linked with a return to boyhood club Aston Villa, whom he captained before joining City in August 2021.
The 28-year-old has also been backed to head to Spain and join Atletico Madrid, despite his previous run-in with their defender Stefan Savic in the Champions League.
On Tuesday, it was sensationally claimed that Chelsea have held internal discussions about a possible move for Grealish.
However, Romano has shut down those rumours by stating that City are not even thinking about letting Grealish leave, let alone selling him to an English rival such as Chelsea.
Jack Grealish to Chelsea talk shut down
“With Chelsea, I’m aware there have been some slightly surprising links with Jack Grealish,” the journalist wrote in his latest Daily Briefing column.
“However, I have zero information on this – Manchester City are not discussing Grealish’s future, not even internally at this point of the season. It’s all quiet.”
Should City change their minds and opt to sell Grealish, then they would much rather negotiate with a foreign club, such as a European giant or a Saudi team. This would prevent them from strengthening a Premier League competitor like Chelsea. Although, it remains to be seen whether the player would consider leaving England.
It is far more likely that City will keep Grealish for at least another season as they try to get the most out of that initial £100m outlay.
Pep Guardiola also likes having two top players in each position, which allows him to rotate the City team in different competitions. Grealish and Doku certainly provide that on the left flank, even if both players would ideally like to start every big game.
