Jack Grealish is expected to represent England in this summer’s European Championships and could put himself in the shop window for potential suitors if he impresses at the tournament.
Aston Villa’s biggest fear is losing the 25-year-old, but the reality is that there isn’t a Premier League club among the ‘big six‘ who have a place in the team for him.
Manchester City have the resources to meet Grealish’s €80m (£72.1m) asking price, but they’re overstocked in the wide positions with Raheem Sterling, Ferran Torres, Bernardo Torres and Riyad Mahrez.
Manchester United were linked with the England international recently, but they have Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial who can operate in his position, so it’s hard to see where he’d fit in.
Chelsea already have Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic who can operate in Grealish’s role, so they don’t have a vacancy for another winger.
Liverpool have needed cover for Sadio Mane, but Diogo Jota will be an option when he returns from injury, so the Reds may not want to splash more than £70m on a player who isn’t guaranteed a starting place.
Tottenham came close to signing Grealish in 2018 but currently sit outside of the European places and may not have the resources to try again unless existing players are sold.
Arsenal would love a player on the level of Grealish as he could be an improvement on Gabriel Martinelli and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but they don’t have the money available and aren’t an attractive proposition right now, sitting 10th in the Premier League.
As for the likes of Leicester, West Ham and Everton, Grealish may not consider them a step-up despite them having a better league position than Villa, so that leaves only the option of a move abroad.
READ ASTON VILLA VERDICT
Villa shouldn’t have to worry about losing Grealish to a Premier League club for the reasons outlined above and they want to tie him down to a long-term deal, so fans should be confident of him staying.
