Aston Villa journalist Gregg Evans has been sharing some details on a potential transfer away from the Birmingham club for club captain Jack Grealish during the upcoming summer transfer window.
This comes after Evans recently made an appearance on the latest episode of The Athletic’s Villa-themed podcast 1874 where he spoke about a number of topics concerning the club.
On the subject of a potential summer transfer move away from Villa Park this summer for Grealish, amid links with the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United last summer, Evans had this to say on the matter.
He said: “This season is slightly different; I think he’s going to cost more money.
“The question is which club can afford him, but I still think if a club comes in for big money, then Jack Grealish will want to leave.
“He is very ambitious, he wants to be playing for the best club in the country. Yes, he loves Aston Villa, we all know this, but if Manchester City comes in with a £100 million bid, and Villa are willing to accept it, Jack Grealish will go and he’ll be happy to go, so that’s the situation we’re in, but for now, we know he signed a five-year contract last year.
“Villa are in a very good position, he’s very well-paid. He’s enjoying his football at Villa. He wants to see the club progress, so if he does stay for another season, which I think probably looks more likely than not, then let’s look forward to it and enjoy next season with him.”
Since making his senior debut for Villa back in 2014, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £54 million, has made 209 appearances for the club across all competitions, in which he has managed to score 32 goals and provide 43 assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Gregg Evans’ comments on Grealish and his future…
Given how Grealish is currently Villa’s highest-rated player in the Premier League with an overall season rating of 7.73/10, similarly to the previous season as well, it’s easy to see why there may be some clubs interested in signing Grealish this summer, with Pep Guardiola’s side reportedly reigniting their interest once again.
Are you confident Grealish will stay at Villa this summer?
Yes
No
However, with Villa currently sat in 10th place in the league table on 41 points with 10 games left to play, if they manage to end the season in a European place, then perhaps this could persuade Grealish to stay at the club and help them progress even further.
And if a nine-figure sum is what it would take to prise Grealish away from Villa Park as Evans suggests, perhaps the situation is indeed something of a win-win for Dean Smith’s side ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.
In other news: ‘To be honest’ – Ashley Preece drops exciting claim on AVFC’s summer transfer plans