PEP GUARDIOLA and his players had to wait for take-off after their flight to Sicily and Saturday’s warm-up with Palermo was delayed.
But if ever Jack Grealish had any doubt that his Manchester City career is now grounded for good, the manager’s squad said it all.
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For just as in the Club World Cup , the £100M attacker was left behind having been already been given the nod by Pep that he needed to find a new Prem destination.
City plans to field two separate sides in each half of the only public pre–season game since last season’s nightmare fall to earth, although they did beat Preston 1-0 in a closed–door friendly.
But while Grealish enthusiastically joined in as City staged an open-day training session on Tuesday, then signed autographs, he wasn’t one of the 22 waiting to board their private jet at Manchester airport, understood to have been delayed by air traffic control problems.
Grealish had also delayed any rush on finding a new club and his £300,000 a week wages have also slowed things up.
But Everton boss David Moyes DOES want him on loan – but the Toffees would not be able to pay all of that weekly salary – more like half of it.
Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega and midfielder James McAtee also missed the trip for the clash with City Football Group sister club Palermo, while Rodri , Phil Foden , Claudio Echeverri and Josko Gvardiol .
That quartet were merely judged to be not quite match-fit enough, but Ortega is also on his way out, City having brought back £27M James Trafford from Burnley after it first seemed that the goalkeeper sold in 2023 would join Newcastle United.
McAtee, 22, has told Guardiola he wants a move over a lack of game time last season, while also seeing the entrance of rival newcomers Tijani Rijnders and Ryan Cherki as part of Guardiola’s £150M summer makeover.
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Nottingham Forest had a £25M bid rejected for the Salford-born attacker and are expected to be back.
But Tottenham Hotspur may now move in with a far higher bid in the wake of the loss of James Maddison for almost all of the coming season after he suffered a horror ACL injury.
Spurs have also been linked with a move to sign Nico Paz from Como .
The Argentine midfielder has impressed since joining up with Cesc Fabregas’ side.
Paz, 20, joined the Italian side last summer from Real Madrid for £5m.
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