Manchester City are hopeful that Jack Grealish will tell Aston Villa he wants to join Pep Guardiola’s side when he speaks with the Villans on Monday, according to the Daily Star.
The Birmingham outfit will hold a crunch summit with the England midfielder on Monday morning on his return for pre-season. Grealish is yet to return to Aston Villa following his involvement in Euro 2020, offering two assists in five games.
Grealish will speak with Villans boss Dean Smith plus owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris to discuss his future. Manchester City are confident the talks will help aid their pursuit, as those close to him have told the Etihad Stadium side he’s desperate to join.
Manchester City will press on with their negotiations with Aston Villa once Grealish has spoken with his boyhood club. And Citizens Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak is increasingly confident that the Villans talisman will join Guardiola’s side this summer.
Al-Mubarak has sanctioned a £100m bid and believes Grealish telling Aston Villa he wants to leave will help Manchester City. The Etihad Stadium side have ramped up their pursuit after Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy continued to block a deal for Harry Kane.
The Citizens are not giving up on signing Kane but are currently zoned in on finalising a move for Grealish. Aston Villa have also moved to keep their academy product in Birmingham by offering the 25-year-old a new £200,000-per-week contract.
Grealish only penned his current terms last September, committing his future to 2025 on a £120k-p/w deal. The potential increase now on offer at Villa Park would see Smith’s side smash their pay structure to keep him.
Monday meeting crucial in Manchester City pursuit of Aston Villa star Grealish
Grealish’s meeting with Aston Villa on Monday morning could hold all the cards in Manchester City’s pursuit of the midfielder. The 12-cap maestro telling Smith, Edens and Sawiris that he wants to join Guardiola’s side could see negotiations progress swiftly.
But the Birmingham-born playmaker could also shatter Al-Mubarak’s confidence by telling the Villans that he intends to stay put. Grealish would then likely sign the contract extension that’s on offer and leave the Citizens’ transfer plans in the mud.
Either Al-Mubarak responds by going all-out to sign Kane from Tottenham, or he turns to alternative targets. But Manchester City missing out on Grealish will be a gutting blow for Guardiola, as the Aston Villa talisman would be a dynamic addition to his title-winning side.
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