Former Everton forward linked with shock return to English football after having contract terminated at most recent club

Former Everton winger Anwar El Ghazi is reportedly considering a surprise return to English football, with talks underway over a potential move to Cardiff City.

The 29-year-old is in negotiations to terminate his contract with Mainz, enabling him to join the Welsh club.

Earlier this month, El Ghazi won a wrongful dismissal case against the Bundesliga club at the Labour Court of Mainz, which ruled in his favor, awarding him over $1 million in unpaid wages and bonuses.

Mainz had initially terminated his contract following a series of social media posts regarding the Israel-Gaza conflict. However, the court ruled in El Ghazi's favor on October 12.

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Despite being reinstated on October 31 after clarifying his stance as one advocating "for peace above everything" and calling for "more empathy" and understanding of the conflict's history, Mainz released him a week later.

The club's decision came after El Ghazi refused to retract his earlier statements, asserting on social media: "I do not distance myself from what I said and stand for humanity and on the side of the oppressed until the last day I breathe."

El Ghazi, who made 119 appearances and scored 26 goals for Aston Villa—including playing a key role in their promotion to the Premier League in 2019—also had a brief loan spell at Everton in the latter half of the 2021/22 season before moving to PSV in the summer of 2022.

The potential move to Cardiff is still in progress and yet to be finalized.