Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris will demand what seems like an extortionate transfer fee for Jack Grealish this summer. Manchester United have been linked with the player since last summer with suggestions that the club would make a move for the attacking midfielder this summer, whether Villa were relegated from the Premier League or not. They managed to survive on the final day fo the season with Watford and Bournemouth joining Norwich City back in the Championship.
It has been stated by The Mirror that the stubborn co-owner of the club will demand United pay £80 million for the 24-year-old, which is a massive fee and one which might not be worth it. However, United being United, if they are still interested in signing the Villa captain, they could try and broker a deal and end up paying the demanded fee months after it was first stated. Unless things have changed at the club, of which I am hopeful for.
Grealish is considering his future after scoring against West Ham United on the final day of the season, only for the home side to equalise minutes later, with the match ending with Villa fraught and not knowing whether their position in the Premier League was safe or not, finding out that Watford were beaten by Arsenal and Bournemouth beat Everton but it was not a big enough victory to force Villa into the bottom three of the table. They celebrated the result, which seemed strange to see.
Grealish is contracted at Villa until the summer of 2023, meaning the club hold the upper hand over a possible transfer this summer. The player will ultimately make up his mind regarding his future, which could mean he continues at the club for another season, seeing if they can change their fortunes or compete in another season-long relegation battle, which could well be the case after this season. Grealish loyally stood by Villa the last time they were relegated and was the stand out player in their promotion back to the Premier League last season.
The player has high hopes for his career – winning silverware, playing in the UEFA Champions League and playing for England. It would seem that the first two were unlikely at Villa and with United seemingly interested in the player this summer, there are no guarantees that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will wait for another season before signing him, needing some strengthening in the squad this summer. If Grealish is a player that is priced out of a move to United, the Old Trafford club will look elsewhere with other players on the market this summer.
That is the risk that both Grealish and Villa will need to take. Personally, I feel an £80 million fee is a bit much for the player, especially in the fact that the coronavirus pandemic will have reduced player’s selling prices this summer and there is no way Grealish is a £100 million plus player. It has been suggested this season that the asking price would still be that high if Villa were relegated, which is laughable. This season, the 24-year-old made a total of 41 appearances, playing in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, scoring 10 goals and eight assists. This will be up to the player and his club to sort out in the coming weeks. United will decide what to do from there, I guess.
Written by John Walker
