Should Levy back Pochettino’s ‘next Gascoigne’ idea and sign Villa’s Grealish for Tottenham?

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Mauricio Pochettino believes Jack Grealish could be Spurs’ next Paul Gascoigne but Daniel Levy is refusing to pay more than £20m for the midfielder.

Liverpool have suddenly emerged as strong contenders to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa this summer, according to the Sun.

Tottenham Hotspur had been leading the way for Grealish’s signature, but chairman Daniel Levy is unwilling to pay more than £20m for the midfielder.

That is half of the £40m the cash-strapped Villans are hoping to receive for the 22-year-old, who is expected to leave Villa Park as the club desperately look to raise funds in order to comply with Financial Fair Play rules.

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Levy was hoping to use the Birmingham side’s predicament to land Grealish for a knocked down price, but this interest from the Reds could create problems.

Up until now Spurs were in a strong position because they could offer Champions League football to the England Under-21 international, which other interested sides Everton and Leicester City – who have since signed James Maddison from Norwich City in any case – could not.

Levy believed Grealish was keen on a move to North London as a result, but Liverpool can also give the midfield ace game time in Europe’s biggest club competition and, pleasingly for Villa, will pay well over £20m to land him.

This could see Tottenham’s transfer tactics backfire, which might particularly frustrate manager Mauricio Pochettino who believes the youngster could have the same impact at White Hart Lane as Paul Gascoigne did when he signed back in 1998.

Pochettino has previously said that Levy needs to “take risks” and spend more money for the club to be able to properly compete for trophies – as outlined by the Mirror – so missing out on Grealish could see the two men clash.