Grealish Everton return looking likely after Instagram post

Jack Grealish has posted a montage of his best moments from his Everton loan season on Instagram, accompanied by a message saying he cannot wait to be back playing, in what reads as a strong signal of intent toward a permanent return to Hill Dickinson Stadium despite the complication of Enzo Maresca‘s imminent arrival at Manchester City.

Maresca is all but confirmed as Pep Guardiola’s successor at the Etihad and reports have indicated Grealish will be part of City’s pre-season under the new manager, giving him a final opportunity to convince the club he has a future there. The 30-year-old’s Instagram post, however, tells a different story about where his head is.

Everton are hopeful of making his stay permanent this summer. They included a £50m buy option in the original loan agreement but David Moyes has confirmed that clause will not be exercised. Manchester City are understood to be open to selling at a cut-price fee of around £20m, acknowledging that Grealish no longer fits their first-team plans regardless of who manages them next season.

Jack Grealish Everton permanent deal: why the Instagram post matters

The social media read here is straightforward. A player genuinely considering his options at City does not post a compilation of his best moments at his loan club the moment the season ends. Grealish is experienced enough and prominent enough to understand exactly what that kind of post communicates.

📱Jack Grealish’s Latest Instagram Story! 💙

👀⏳ pic.twitter.com/2Hg6BPNZv0

— Everton FC News 💙 (@NilSatisNews) May 27, 2026

With Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo and further additions expected across the wide positions, a guaranteed starting role for Grealish is not a realistic prospect. Without that guarantee, there is no compelling reason to return, and his Everton season demonstrated that regular football in a system built around him is precisely the environment he needs to perform at his best.

He contributed eight goal involvements from 20 Premier League appearances before his season was cut short by injury, creating 38 chances and completing 23 dribbles at an 84% pass accuracy. Those numbers were encouraging and interrupted at exactly the wrong moment. A full season without the injury disruption could yield significantly more.

What Everton need to do alongside the Grealish deal

The lesson of this season is that contingency planning cannot be an afterthought. When Grealish’s injury ended his campaign early, Everton were left scrambling and brought in Tyrique George on loan as emergency cover. The Chelsea winger impressed sufficiently to generate serious consideration of triggering his buy option, but Everton are now set to let him return, suggesting the fee asked was too high relative to what they are prepared to spend on a backup option.

Jamie Lewelling and Esmir Bajraktarevic have both been strongly linked in recent weeks as rotational options on the left. Either would give Moyes the depth he lacked this season when Grealish went down, and securing one of them alongside the permanent Grealish deal would represent a genuinely coherent approach to addressing the position rather than another reactive scramble when things go wrong.

The £20m permanent fee is entirely manageable and represents exceptional value for a player of Grealish’s quality and Premier League pedigree if he can stay fit. The Instagram post