Manchester City have set their sights on Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish as a transfer target this summer. As per Football Insider, the Sky Blues are already planning a summer swoop for the Englishman and have been informed that a ‘set fee’ would be enough to land Grealish’s signature.
While no specific figure or amount has been mentioned, The Independent back in November 2020 claimed that the deal he inked with the Villans in September 2020 may include an agreement that stipulates that he cannot leave Villa Park for less than £100 million.
PEP GUARDIOLA IN AWE OF JACK GREALISH
Manchester City’s top executives and manager Pep Guardiola are thought to be in awe of Jack Grealish, who has himself been somewhat flirty with the Cityzens’ fans on social media platforms.
The reported release clause in Grealish’s contract with Aston Villa allows any club to trigger a transfer for a pre-determined value given the agreement to personal terms with the player. It is rare for buy-out clauses to be witnessed in English top-tier football, but this revelation is a significant update for all clubs who are courting the former Irish international player.
ASTON VILLA’S STANDOUT PERFORMER THIS SEASON
Although an injury has curtailed his season, Grealish has been excellent in this campaign for the Villans, leading the English top-flight in terms of key passes per game.
The Aston Villa captain is a formidable goal threat too, his tally of six goals has only been bettered by four Manchester City players in the current season and given Aguero’s departure at the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, the Sky Blues will think twice about stalling talks for acquiring Grealish.
And it was reported earlier in April 2021, that Grealish is himself keen for a move to the blue half of Manchester to spend the most productive years of his footballing career challenging for titles on all four fronts with Manchester City.
THE GREALISH – DE BRUYNE CONNECTION
Grealish is a self-proclaimed admirer of City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne and has admitted that he gets star-struck whenever his side square up against De Bruyne’s City in the Premier League.
“I’m half star-struck when I play against Kevin De Bruyne because he’s my favourite player ever” he was quoted saying to Villa TV in February 2020. “I think he’s unbelievable, I think he’s easily the best player in the Premier League at the moment”.
Therefore, he will greatly relish the chance of playing alongside his idol at City if the deal does come through this summer
