In a surprise twist in what is likely to become a transfer saga, we now learn that Manchester City are circling Jack Grealish.
This comes after reports that Grealish has been house-hunting in the north of England, with rumours being that Manchester United are set to make a £75+ million move.
The broad assumption had been that only the red half on the city was monitoring our star players availability.
This development that outlines City’s interest will no doubt be a hammer blow to United, who are struggling to reassert the dominance enjoyed under Alex Ferguson.
City’s interest is driven primarily due to enforced squad changes, with Sane and Silva expected to depart The Etihad at the end of the campaign.
Guardiola will additionally be pondering ways in which to recover on the ground lost to Liverpool, who strolled to a first Premier League title this term.
This type of link will only serve to unsettle Villa’s marquee player at a crucial time. It also comes at a time where Villa are struggling for form and staring at the reality of six challenging fixtures to avoid relegation.
Whilst we may ultimately be resigned to losing Jack whether Villa stay up or not, there can be no doubt that a focused and in-form Grealish will be pivotal in retaining Premier League status.
What seems to be apparent is that the transfer rumour concerning Grealish isn’t going to go away, but potential suitors will be faced with the genuine prospect of a huge fee. Indeed, the current terms of the England hopefuls deal extends to three years, with Villa’s billionaire owners unlikely to be incentivised unless a £75m-£80m demand is met.
The sheer scale of the fee may be the only off-putting factor for the vultures, with no club immune to the fall-out of Covid and the economic damage inflicted. This could of course be a balance between any bidder having the funds, against any necessity on Villa’s part to use the cash.
At worst, Villa could be faced with the prospect of a Championship re-build, away from the TV revenue of the Premier League.  As we know all too well, re-builds require funding.
With Grealish being silent on the matter, understandably, it leads only to continued speculation about any move.
The Villa captain also faces a court appearance in August, having been charged following an ill-disciplined lockdown incident.
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