Jack Grealish

England international Jack Grealish made an appearance against boyhood club Aston Villa for the first time since he sealed a British record transfer to Premier League holders Manchester City. Grealish was left on the Manchester City bench on his return to Aston Villa as he gradually works his way back to full fitness after a few weeks out through injury.

Grealish became the most expensive footballer in the history of British football in the summer when Manchester City paid the £100m release clause in his then Aston Villa contract. He had strongly been linked with a move to Manchester United before the Citizens paid a huge transfer fee to secure his transfer. The Euro 2020 finalist came on for Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus for final three minutes of the Villa game to make his tenth league appearance of the season as he helped his new team hold on to a 2-1 away win over the home team.

According to the Daily Mail, Premier League giants Manchester United have begun talks with Aston Villa over the signing of star midfielder Jack Grealish when the summer transfer window opens for business in a few months. Olé Gunnar Solksjær and United are long-term admirers of Grealish and they tried to sign the England international midfielder last summer but the move collapsed after Villa refused to bring down their asking price.
Grealish is Aston Villa's best player and is also their captain, meaning that it will have to cost a lot of money for the Villans to allow him to leave the club. According to several reports, Aston Villa were demanding a fee of close to £100 million to sell the star last summer and United were reluctant to meet that value.

The Red Devils then asked Villa to drop their asking price to a more affordable amount, but their request was not granted. And now, it looks as though United have not stopped in their hunt to land the midfielder as they have reportedly opened talks over a possible transfer this summer.

One of the major wins of the last summer transfer window was how English Premier League club Aston Villa were able to successfully hold on to their captain and star midfielder Jack Grealish. The England international midfield superstar was heavily linked with a move away from the club and even almost came close to joining Manchester United but the move collapsed after both United and Villa could not reach an agreement for the transfer to happen.

After the move broke down, Grealish was then convinced by Aston Villa manager Dean Smith to sign a new contract and the midfielder then agreed to a bumper fresh five-year deal which he signed after the summer transfer window closed.

Aston Villa have banned their players and staff from fantasy football after the injury to club skipper Jack Grealish was leaked via the platform ahead of the Leicester City game at the weekend.

An account on Twitter had tweeted that several Aston Villa players and staff transferred Jack Grealish out of their respective squads to suggest that the player won't be available for the home clash with Leicester City. In the end, the Twitter account was proved right as Jack Grealish was a major absentee from the Aston Villa squad for the Leicester City game at Villa Park on Sunday. Without Grealish, Aston Villa were beaten 2-1 at home by the Foxes.

Former Aston Villa forward Darius Vassell believes Jack Grealish will make the move to an elite Premier League when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season. The 24-year-old has been the standout performer since the Villains’ promotion to the top-flight last summer and he has contributed seven goals and five assists to date.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has indicated that Jack Grealish won’t come on the cheap for his suitors irrespective of whether the Villains get promoted or not. The Villains skipper penned a fresh five-year deal with the club in September and he has since played an influential role in the club’s progress to the Championship play-off final for the second-straight season.

Speaking in a press conference, Smith highlighted that the midfielder committed to the club on a new long-term deal at the beginning of the season and that has put them in a strong position to command a significant sum for a future sale, he said: “He’s signed a brand-new contract at the start of the season, committing himself to the football club. He loves Aston Villa and he’ll want nothing more than to get promoted with Aston Villa. If we don’t go up he’ll cost someone a hell of a lot of money if they want to buy him. He is committed to Aston Villa and we’ve not even spoken about it otherwise.”

Aston Villa’s on-loan striker Tammy Abraham has said that the team must avoid any complacency in the forthcoming matches as they seek to qualify for the end of the season playoffs. The west Midlands side were without Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish for the recent meeting against Bristol City but they still managed to secure a 2-1 victory at the weekend.

Speaking after the game, Abraham, who scored the opening goal from the penalty spot, said that the club can look far ahead for the timebeing and they must concentrate on a game-by-game basis as they seek to finish in the top six, he said: “We can’t get complacent now. We have to go into every game like it is our last and put in performances.”

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce says that the club may have to end up selling Jack Grealish before the end of the transfer window. The 22-year-old is one of the prized assets for Aston Villa and he will fetch the highest price among any of the current players. The midfielder has been able to get nine goals in his 92 games for Aston Villa. After losing in the play-off final against Fulham last season, Aston Villa need to make up a significant sum of money – around £ 40 million – in order to meet the Financial Fair Play regulations.

Bruce says thatGrealish is certainly a special talent who could improve Aston Villa leaps and bounds. However, the club are being left with little option but to sell him. Tottenham are being linked with a move for the midfielder, who could cost as much as £ 40 million. Aston Villa have gone through a horrendous time over the last few years. Apart from the relegation into the Championship, the club also failed to get back into the Premier League in the first time of asking. This is expected to cost the club around £ 160 million in potential revenue. In addition to this, Villa were unable to meet a £4 million payment for tax related purposes in June. All these have increased the financial pressure on Villa, while owner Tony Xia insisted that the club is not for sale.

Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish has revealed the extent of a serious kidney injury which could have ended his professional career for good. The youngster sustained the problem after a challenge by close friend and Watford midfielder Tom Cleverley in pre-season and this saw him miss the opening months of the Championship campaign.

In an interview with The Mirror, he said: “I took a kick to the kidney and it split in two places. It was pouring with blood, internally, for about five hours. It’s the worst pain I’ve ever been in. I went to Heartlands hospital in Birmingham. They found out what it was and I was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth for an operation. Before it happened, the surgeon had to tell me the consequences of what could happen if it didn’t work. He looked me in the eye and said, ‘Jack, you could die’. My reply was, ‘What?’ I was genuinely scared. I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason. I came back from that injury a different person.”