Manchester City have reportedly declared an interest in Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jack Grealish if Bayern Munich end up signing Leroy Sane this summer. United are said to be interested in signing Grealish this summer with reports suggesting that the player would be interested in a move to the Old Trafford club. This could complicate the matter.
United are said to be readying a move for the attacking midfielder as soon as the transfer window opens but have reportedly been quoted £80 million for the player, whether Villa are relegated from the Premier League or not this season. Pep Guardiola, the manager of City, has already described the 24-year-old as ‘one of the best players in the league’.
City will require £50 million from Bayern for them to sign Sane this summer but £35 million is what has reportedly been offered. It makes me wonder whether City could sign Grealish for less than the £80 million that has been quoted for the player this summer. United might need to move quickly, if they are interested in signing Grealish this summer.
Former Liverpool striker John Barnes, who seems to hold a certain bitterness to United, has advised Grealish to think about a move to United this summer. Barnes worries that the 24-year-old will not flourish if he is not considered as one of the important players at the Old Trafford club, which might actually be the case, if United do end up signing him. Barnes said:
“It depends whether he’s going to be a first-team regular at Manchester United, playing every single week and being a main player at Manchester United.
“He’s the main player at Aston Villa and we can all see what he does, if he goes to United where Pogba, Martial, Rashford are the main players, will he have that much of an impact?”
Grealish has not yet played for England manager Gareth Southgate but is tipped to play for his country, when they can play international matches again. Barnes has questions about this and wonders if moving to United would raise his chances of playing for England, as he was tipped to be capped whilst playing for Villa. He said:
“To say that because he’s at Manchester United he’s going to play for England, that’s what he has to prove. He’s the main man at Aston Villa, he does everything and everything comes through him, that’s why he’s got such a big profile and why he plays well.
“If he goes to Manchester United, is he going to take over from Pogba or Fernandes as the main playmaker, probably not. So then just because he’s at Manchester United it doesn’t mean it will help his England chances.
“His England chances are great because he’s playing well at Aston Villa, he has to make that decision and his decision can’t be based on whether it is going to help his England career, his decision has to be based on whether this is going to help his football career because he’ll be at a club in the Champions League or fighting for honours.”
