Jack Grealish is reportedly open to a summer move away from Aston Villa according to an exclusive in the Sunday Telegraph.
Jack Grealish, 24, has been monitored by both Manchester City and Manchester United with the latter said to have considered a move for the Villa midfielder during the January window.
That never happened but it has, it seems, planted a seed that has started to take root.
The Telegraph report that Grealish’s form has been so good that it has given Villa a chance of staying up this season (they sit one point above the relegation zone on 25 points, just six behind Arsenal).
Spurs tried to buy Grealish last summer according to the report but Villa rejected their £25m offer.
Grealish’s homegrown status seems to be appealing to both Manchester clubs as well although he has yet to earn a senior England cap and only changed allegiances from the Republic of Ireland in 2015.
I’m not entirely sure I get the hype around Grealish, if I’m honest and wonder if he wasn’t English with a personal style that makes him look like he was born in a bygone era, would the English media even notice he existed.
Seven goals and five assists from 23 Premier League games is certainly nothing to be sniffed at and his average rating of 7.42 this season is much better than what we’ve seen from every single Arsenal player (Nicolas Pepe is Arsenal’s highest rated player this season with 7.09, the only player in the squad above 7. Next is Shkodran Mustafi on 6.99 so that tells you all you really need to know).
But Grealish’s rating is only 0.16 better than the Scottish John McGinn who has won four Man of the Match awards to Grealish’s three this season, despite playing more than 500 minutes fewer.
Thankfully, Arsenal don’t seem to have any interest in getting involved in what will eventually turn out to be an over-inflated transfer for a decent, but not spectacular player.
Jack Grealish: Pleasure to play at the Emirates – my favourite stadium in the PL