Aston Villa are expected to accept Manchester City’s stunning £100million bid for Jack Grealish, according to reports.
And the England star’s move has been backed on talkSPORT, with the station told he will ‘still be an Aston Villa legend’ if he leaves to join the Premier League champions.
talkSPORT understands City tabled an official £100m offer to sign Grealish on Friday, following weeks of speculation over the playmaker’s future.
It’s a deal that, if accepted, would smash the British transfer record, which is still held by the £89m Manchester United spent to re-sign Paul Pogba back in 2016.
According to a report from Sky Sports, Villa are yet to formally respond to City’s bid for Grealish.
However, it is claimed the Midlands club are now willing to let their captain and star man leave, and the decision over his future is now the players’ to make.
Grealish has been widely tipped to make the next step of his career after emerging as one of the Premier League’s most talented attacking players, as well as his impressive performances at the top level for England at Euro 2020.
But the boyhood Villan has made clear his love for his hometown club, and it is claimed he could still decide to sign a new long-term contract at Villa Park.
Grealish only signed a five-year deal last September, but it is widely claimed Villa have offered him a new and improved deal to make him one of the English top flight’s best-paid players to secure his future.
Whatever the outcome, his legendary status at Villa is already secured, according to Jamie O’Hara.
The former Tottenham midfielder, who said he – like Grealish – was honoured to play for the club he supported as a boy, but said the chance to win titles with City is too good to turn down.
“I played for Tottenham, my boyhood club, and it was a dream to play for them,” O’Hara said on Drivetime.
“But for Jack Grealish, he’s been at Aston Villa for a long period of time now, he’s done great things, he’s already a legend.
“If he leaves tomorrow and goes to Man City, he’s still going to be an Aston Villa legend.
“He has to go to Man City because he will guarantee himself trophies. He will win the Premier League, he will win the FA Cup, the League Cup and he will probably win the Champions League as well.
“It’s only a matter of time before Man City do eventually get it over the line, and I think if you’re signing players like Jack Grealish and they’re talking about Harry Kane, too, they’ll win a Champions League.
“Jack is not going to do that at Aston Villa. As much as Aston Villa are going out and signing players and are going in the right direction, and they are a huge football club, they’re still ten years behind where Man City are right now.
“In ten years’ time, Jack Grealish probably won’t be a footballer anymore, he’ll be at the end of his career, so he needs to go to a club now, like Man City, who are going to offer him a huge contract and will guarantee him success and trophies.
“So, when he does retire he looks back, he can say: ‘I played at the top level and won everything’.”
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