Jack Grealish to be made the highest paid player in Aston Villa’s history in a bid to stave off Manchester United interest
(Image credit: PA Images)
Jack Grealish is set to be offered a weekly six-figure salary in an attempt to convince him to commit his long-term future to Aston Villa. Grealish enjoyed another sensational season at Villa Park last term, playing a crucial role as the team survived on the final day.
The 24-year-old has been identified as a key transfer target for Manchester United this summer, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to build a squad capable of competing for the Premier League title, as well as the Champions League. A fee of around £80m has been mooted for a player who scored eight goals and registered six assists in the top flight last season. Grealish also became the most fouled player across a single season in Premier League history.
(Image credit: PA)
Villa fans are praying their local hero will stay, however, and manager Dean Smith is hoping this latest contract offer will be enough to convince him.
Grealish at Manchester United is an interesting proposition, in that there doesn’t appear to be any real need for a player with his skill set at Old Trafford. The Englishman is without question one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League, but Solskjaer already has Bruno Fernandes - one of the stars of last season - and Paul Pogba to choose form. The three playing together would be brilliant fun but also bordering on madness from a tactical standpoint.
With Manchester United having qualified for next season's Champions League, it’s likely there’ll be heavy rotation, and Grealish would provide quality cover as the Red Devils look to fight on four fronts.
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Saying that, Grealish might have more opportunity to convince Gareth Southgate he deserves a place at next summer’s rescheduled Euros if he remains at Villa and continues to shine in a team built around his talents.
It’s fair to say Grealish has some huge decisions about his future to reach over the coming days and weeks.
Ed is a staff writer at FourFourTwo, working across the magazine and website. A German speaker, he’s been working as a football reporter in Berlin since 2015, predominantly covering the Bundesliga and Germany's national team. Favourite FFT features include an exclusive interview with Jude Bellingham following the youngster’s move to Borussia Dortmund in 2020, a history of the Berlin Derby since the fall of the Wall and a celebration of Kevin Keegan’s playing career.
