Jack Grealish’s absence from Manchester City’s squad for the Club World Cup has been confirmed after Pep Guardiola’s side announced their 27-man travelling party.
City will head to the United States for the start of their tournament, which begins on June 18 against Moroccan side Wydad. They will also play Juventus and Al Ain in the group stage.
The transfer window ahead of the tournament has been closed as of 7pm BST on June 10, with some clubs scrambling to make moves to bolster their squads for the competition.
City, who will be based in Florida, did just that, bringing in Ryan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait Nouri and Marcus Bettinelli ahead of Wednesday’s deadline.
All four of those players will travel, but England duo Grealish and Walker were notable absentees from the options Guardiola will have to choose from in the States.
Grealish is understood to have been left out so he can find a new club to join this summer. Guardiola has already acknowledged he may leave, and England manager Thomas Tuchel has told the forward that he must be playing more often in order to earn a call-up.
Jack Grealish has been left out of Manchester City’s squad for the upcoming Club World Cup
Kyle Walker, who left Manchester City on loan in January, will also not be travelling with squad
Pep Guardiola has named a 27-man squad for the competition – his side kick-off on June 18
Grealish started only seven times in what was a poor season for City by their own standards.
While he has two years remaining on his £300,000-a-week contract, a repeat would do neither City nor the player any favours.
Clubs in England and Europe are expected to be interested in the playmaker, although the fact that many are grappling with profit and sustainability issues may point to the likelihood of a loan deal, rather than a permanent move for a man who cost City £100m when he signed from Aston Villa for a British record fee in 2021.
After Grealish was left out of City’s final Premier League fixture at Fulham, Guardiola said that officials would work with Grealish and his representatives to find a solution that suited both sides.
Walker, meanwhile, won’t play for City again after leaving the club on loan in January, joining AC Milan.
His contract runs until the end of next season, but it is understood he will leave this summer after he fathered two children with Lauryn Goodman while being married to Annie Kilner.
City have, meanwhile, included nearly £114million worth of fresh blood in their squad after their four signings in their first transfer window of the summer.
Left back Air Nouri was the first player through the door, with the former Premier League champions forking out £33.7m to sign the Algeria international from Wolves.
City, meanwhile, have included £114million worth of new talent in the squad, including Rayan Ait Nouri
Ryan Cherki arrived from Lyon for £34m and will bolter Guardiola’s attacking midfield options
Midfielder Tijjani Reijnders also singed, joining City from AC Milan on deadline day for £46m
Elsewhere, Bettinelli joined from Chelsea on deadline day for a small fee, along with the arrivals of Cherki and Reijnders.
The former joined from Lyon for £34m and is expected to add depth in City’s attacking midfield area. Reijnders, a deeper midfielder, signed on the dotted line for £46m, arriving from AC Milan.
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Grealish, meanwhile, has hit out at critics of his form. Responding to a post from talkSPORT which claimed that Villa favourite Gabby Agbonlahor is ‘not happy’ with Guardiola for unfairly treating Grealish, the winger wrote: ‘What u want me to do score a [hat-trick] in 20 [minutes]?’
He also waded into a discussion between two users discussing his form for City this term.
‘Dude, Jack has been bad lately and I’m not surprised Pep did that,’ wrote one user on X. Another replied: ‘Lately? Lol, been too long to be called lately. Let these people talk s***.’
The England international chimed in with a defense of his recent displays, adding: ‘Haha, I’ve been bad lately? Score 3 goals in my last 3 appearances over 45 mins but okie dokie love x’.
