Manchester City are “preparing a bid” for Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish with the offer expected to break the record fee paid by a British club, according to The Athletic‘s David Ornstein.
Villa are likely to demand in excess of £100m for Grealish, which would exceed the £89m which Manchester United shelled out on Paul Pogba, and the Citizens are ready to splash the cash:
Man City preparing bid to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa but #AVFC determined to keep him. Although no talks between clubs yet #MCFC expected to formalise interest in due course. Likely to take ~£100m to stand a chance. W/ @greggevans40 @TheAthleticUK https://t.co/WLluMhv24R
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 25, 2021
United and Chelsea are also thought to be interested in Grealish, although neither club are expected to enter a bidding war with City. The Red Devils are focused on getting a deal over the line for Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho while the Blues are prioritising a new striker.
City are also thought to be looking for a replacement for Sergio Aguero and they have already made a move for Harry Kane but they see Grealish as a more realistic target.
Manager Pep Guardiola has not hidden his admiration for the midfielder, having praised the 25-year-old as an “exceptional player” in the past.