Manchester United are reportedly set to step up their pursuit of Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, despite concerns over his off-the-field antics.
According to a report from The Sun, Manchester United are pressing ahead with their intentions of signing Aston Villa captain and midfielder Jack Grealish, who could be available for a transfer fee of £50 million.
Aston Villa have struggled upon their return to the Premier League, but Grealish has easily been their best player by some distance. One of the most standout attacking midfielders in the English top flight this term, the 24-year-old has scored seven goals and set up six more in 26 league outings. In addition, he has scored and assisted two goals apiece in the Carabao Cup.
Grealish has created 65 goalscoring chances this season, which is the fifth-best tally in the Premier League. His performances haven’t gone unnoticed with Manchester United extremely keen on signing the Englishman ahead of the next season.
The report states that Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen on adding more creativity to his side and wants a long-term partner for January signing Bruno Fernandes, as the club are prepared to offload World Cup winner Paul Pogba in the summer.
Concerns were raised over Grealish’s off-field antics after the midfielder was caught breaking lockdown guidelines, as he attended a late-night party hosted by a friend, before going on to crash his motor. The 24-year-old was forced to apologise for the incident and was fined £150,000 by his club.
Solskjaer though, is a huge fan of Grealish’s abilities and is willing to overlook the incident and press ahead in the pursuit of the Aston Villa skipper. Relatively young, homegrown and with loads of potential, Grealish fits perfectly into the mould of players that the Norwegian has been keen on signing since taking over the reins at Old Trafford.
The 24-year-old, who has a contract with Aston Villa till 2023, is valued at £70 million by the club. But the asking price could drop down to £50 million if the Villans are relegated, chances of which are high given that they are 19th in the table currently.
Grealish has been dropping cheeky hints on social media about a potential transfer to Manchester United in the summer transfer window. It now remains to be seen if the Red Devils do actually get their hands on the player, who they have been tracking for almost eighteen months now.
