Aston Villa are reportedly adamant on their £80 million valuation of Jack Grealish, who is a summer target for Manchester United.
According to a report by Daily Mirror, Aston Villa have told Manchester United to cough up £80 million if they want to secure the services of Jack Grealish in the summer transfer window. The English midfielder is seen as a long-term midfield solution by the Premier League heavyweights.
He may have been in the news for the wrong reasons lately, but Jack Grealish is a player who has only won admirers for his exploits on the field. Always rated to be a talented prospect after breaking into the Aston Villa first-team, the 24-year-old has made massive strides in recent years, becoming the talisman for the Midlands club.
This season, Grealish has led Villa’s fight to remain in the Premier League from the front, with 7 goals and 6 assists in 26 top-flight outings. 2019-20 has also been the season in which he has been formally made the Aston Villa captain, following the loan move of former Manchester United man James Chester, who joined Stoke City in January.
The player’s performances all through the season have led to widespread speculation over his future, especially due to Villa’s precarious position on the Premier League table. And, leading the race to sign the English midfielder in the summer transfer window are Manchester United.
The Red Devils could lose Paul Pogba in the summer transfer window, which is why they have been scouring the market for a midfielder, despite the improvement shown this season by Fred and Scott McTominay. However, Grealish is a player who could add a lot of goals from midfield, something Manchester United have sorely lacked in Pogba’s absence.
As a result, the 24-year-old is a viable target for Manchester United, who are reportedly prepared to offer him a bumper deal if they can sign him. United, though, will have to stump up a considerable amount if they want to secure the services of their priority target.
The report suggests that Aston Villa will not budge from their £80 million valuation of Grealish, even if they end up getting relegated from the Premier League. In fact, they even fancy their chances of keeping hold of their prized possession if they manage to stay afloat in the top-flight.
If Villa do go down to the Championship, though, there is a belief at the club that the wealth of owners Nassef Sawaris and Wes Edens. The Birmingham-based club do expect Grealish to ask for a transfer if they are unable to keep their Premier League status intact, with Manchester United his preference, as per reports.
In that case, Manchester United will only be able to land Grealish if they pay £80 million. With the coronavirus crisis set to impact the transfer market and budgets, it remains to be seen if Manchester United are ready to pay such a high sum, especially with a move for Jadon Sancho also in the works.
