The 29-year-old was conspicuous by his absence from City's travelling party for Sunday's pivotal clash at Fulham, marking another chapter in what has become a systematic marginalisation under Guardiola's stewardship.
Grealish's predicament has reached critical mass after enduring a torrid 2025 campaign that has yielded a paltry 143 minutes of Premier League action across six appearances. The former Aston Villa captain has been an unused substitute in 11 matches, culminating in his brutal omission from the FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace.
Sources close to the Etihad hierarchy suggest the £300,000-per-week winger could even be sacrificed ahead of the Club World Cup in the United States, as City prepare to cut their losses on a player once hailed as the missing piece in their attacking armoury.
The writing appears firmly on the wall for Grealish, whose meteoric rise to becoming British football's most expensive player in 2021 has given way to an alarming fall from grace. His six-year contract, negotiated at the peak of his powers, now represents a millstone around the neck of potential suitors eyeing a summer capture.
Guardiola's faith in his record signing has evaporated to such an extent that the Catalan opted to throw 19-year-old debutant Claudio Echeverri into the Wembley cauldron rather than turn to Grealish with City trailing Palace in the dying embers.
The snub prompted a withering assessment from England legend Alan Shearer, who declared: "His time is up, he's done at Man City, he has to leave. For whatever reason, Pep's done with him."
Grealish's international prospects under new England boss Thomas Tuchel remain equally bleak, with the German tactician overlooking the playmaker for recent fixtures against Andorra and Senegal.
The cruel irony of Grealish's situation is not lost on observers who witnessed his integral role in City's historic Treble triumph just two seasons ago. That the architect of some of their most memorable moments has become surplus to requirements represents one of the most dramatic reversals of fortune in recent Premier League history.
With two years remaining on his lucrative deal, City face a delicate balancing act between recouping a reasonable fee and finding a club willing to match Grealish's considerable wage demands. The summer transfer window will prove decisive in determining whether the Birmingham-born star can resurrect his career elsewhere or continue his exile in Manchester's shadows.