Pranav Nair
Manchester City look to trump Manchester United to Jack Grealish
According to The Daily Mail, Manchester City are looking to blow Manchester United out of the water by tabling a record bid for Jack Grealish.
United were heavily linked with the player in recent windows. Not landing Grealish last summer might as well be seen as a missed opportunity given his performances in recent months.
The Villa skipper is today one of the best midfielders in the league. The 25-year-old could be on the verge of moving to Manchester but with City.
Despite winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final, City are keen to further strengthen a star-studded squad. They are now ready to break the British transfer record to land Grealish.
The 25-year-old looks on course to become the country’s first footballer to be transferred for £100million. Having signed a new long-term deal just last year, Villa hold the aces when it comes to negotiations.
A key player in Dean Smith’s system, Villa will not entertain selling their local hero for anything less than a new British transfer record.
A historic move
It is unclear whether City will pursue a straight cash negotiation or include players as a makeweight. If so, who will make the move the other way remains to be seen.
Grealish’s agent Jonathan Barnett had hinted earlier this year that he could be involved in a big-money move for his client in the summer. It would appear it wasn’t idle talk.
As things stand, Paul Pogba remains the costliest acquisition made by an English club. Liverpool’s sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona in 2018 remains the most expensive sale by a British side.
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With Liverpool wrapping up a deal for Ibrahima Konate and now City going after Grealish, United cannot afford to be left behind.
If the Europa League final has shown us anything, it is that we are still some way away from winning a major trophy. A proactive approach to the summer transfer market will go a long way in rectifying that.
