A proposed transfer for Manchester City's Jack Grealish to Serie A title hopefuls Napoli has hit a major stumbling block, according to a report.
The 29-year-old has recently emerged as a somewhat surprise summer target for Napoli, who are said to be tracking the attacker amid growing uncertainty over his future.
It is understood that head coach Antonio Conte is a huge admirer of Grealish, who is open to the prospect of playing abroad.
However, Football Insider claims that Napoli will struggle to finance a deal to sign Grealish permanently from Man City this summer.
The report adds that meeting the attacker's 'massive' wage demands are proving to be an issue and Napoli may have to persuade City to accept a loan offer instead.
Grealish is believed to be earning around £300,000 per week at the Etihad Stadium on a contract that runs until June 2027, and whether City would be prepared to accept loan offers rather than sanction a permanent sale remains to be seen.
© Imago
Grealish facing uncertain future at Man City
Napoli are on the lookout for a new left-sided attacker after selling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain for €70m in the January transfer window.
I Partenopei also have recent history when it comes to luring players with Premier League experience to Serie A, as they signed Romelu Lukaku, Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour on permanent deals last summer, while Philip Billing joined on loan from Bournemouth.
Their latest target Grealish joined Man City for £100m from boyhood club Aston Villa in 2021 and played an integral role in the club's historic 2022-23 treble-winning campaign.
However, he has since failed to make the desired impact for Pep Guardiola's side and went through 2024 without scoring a single goal in 32 appearances before ending his miserable drought in an FA Cup win over Salford City in January.
Grealish has falling down the pecking order at Man City, starting just seven Premier League games this season, and the likes of January signing Omar Marmoush, Jeremy Doku, Savinho and Phil Foden have all been preferred to operate on the left flank.
A recent report claims that Grealish is set for showdown talks with Guardiola and will seek assurances from the Citizens manager over his future ahead of the summer transfer window.
Oliver Thomas
