Premier League champions Manchester City have firmed up interest in Aston Villa star Jack Grealish by tabling a British-record £100 million bid.
The Sky Blues have been linked with the England international, 25, all summer, with manager Pep Guardiola keen to add the creative winger to his ranks ahead of a Premier League title defence in 2021-22.
Jack Grealish has evolved into one of the Premier League’s best playmakers over the last couple of years. The midfielder, who was a part of the England squad that lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalty shootouts earlier this month, contributed six goals and 10 assists in the Premier League last term.
Pep Guardiola has long been an admirer of the Aston Villa skipper and has made his signing a priority this summer, along with Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane. The Villans are reluctant to lose Grealish and have offered him a new contract that would have significantly improved his current salary of around £125,000 a week.
After starring for England in Euro 2020, Grealish is expected to return to training with his club on Monday; however, the Cityzens are trying their best to wrap up a deal for the 25-year-old midfielder as quickly as possible.
Manchester City remain in the hunt to replace Sergio Aguero
After the departure of striker Sergio Aguero—on the back of a decade-long, trophy-laden spell at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola wants Tottenham ace Harry Kane as the man to replace the Argentinean international.
Harry Kane, 28, one of Europe’s most prolific strikers having scored 166 goals in 245 Premier League matches, has already expressed his desire of leaving Tottenham—the club he joined as a boy. Last season, he won the Golden Boot award and also supplied the most assists in the league for a Tottenham side that finished seventh on the table.
However, for starters, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy doesn’t want to sell the England international, who has three years remaining on his current contract. Levy values Kane at around £160 million, which City are reluctant to pay at the moment.
Guardiola is not very confident in going with Gabriel Jesus as the Cityzens’ primary striker, while highly-regarded academy graduate Liam Delap could go on a season-long loan to Championship club Stoke City. It does mean that City needs a new no.9 to spearhead their attack in the upcoming campaign.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the Premier League champions break their bank to sign Kane this summer.
Jack Grealish could take the Sky Blues to a different level
It was only a few years ago that Jack Grealish playing in the Championship with his boyhood club Aston Villa, and now he could become the most expensive player in the English top-flight history. It’s a testament to the midfielder’s talent and rapid rise in the last couple of years that a club like City are set to break their transfer record.
The Villa skipper has great technical ability and vision to spot a pass in the final third. A top dribbler, Grealish likes to pick up the ball in deep areas, drive forward into space and then pick out his teammates. The Englishman also is a calm and composed finisher in front of the goal.
At City, the 25-year-old could link up well with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden in the attacking third and create havoc. An excellent player and a leader, the England international can unlock his true potential under the watchful eyes of Guardiola.
All in all, Grealish would be yet another fantastic addition to a Manchester City side serious about continuing their dominance in English football in the coming years.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.