Manchester United have reportedly ended their pursuit of Jack Grealish and are reluctant to sanction a £80 million move for him this summer.
According to a report by Sky Sports, Manchester United have cooled their interest in Jack Grealish. The Premier League heavyweights are prioritising their pursuit of Jadon Sancho, as far as beefing up attack is concerned, with the Aston Villa captain’s £80 million also being too steep.
Grealish is a player who has always been rated quite highly since breaking into the first-team setup at Aston Villa a few years ago. And, the player has done justice to the expectations and his potential, having become the single-most important player for Villa. This season, in particular, the Midlands club would have gone right back down to the Championship if not for their talismanic captain.
The numbers do make for an impressive reading, as only Kevin De Bruyne created more chances than Grealish in the season gone by, while his final tally of 10 goals and 8 assists in 41 outings in all competitions is rather solid. His exploits over the last few years have attracted a number of clubs towards him and this summer, Manchester United have been heavily linked with the 24-year-old.
The interest from Manchester United was a tad bit surprising, considering Grealish is unlikely to be a first-choice player at any of the three positions he is adept at playing from. Having said that, the English playmaker’s addition would undoubtedly enable Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to rotate his troops better.
The Manchester United manager has been reluctant to fall back on Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira, even as the fixtures had been piling up after the resumption of the season. So, signing someone like Grealish would give Solskjaer an additional option while boosting the squad’s quality. However, the fact that Aston Villa value him around £80 million has become a stumbling block.
With Aston Villa managing to secure their position in the Premier League for next season, their position has become more reinforced. A recent report from the reliable Paul Hirst of The Times has also suggested that Grealish fears he could be priced out of a possible move to Manchester United due to this stance.
It now looks like that is exactly what has happened, with United cooling their interest in the Aston Villa captain. The report claims what has been known for some time – that Jadon Sancho is the priority for Manchester United, who could be set to make an official offer for him soon.
So, while Solskjaer a big admirer of Grealish, the fact that he would not be a regular starter makes his £80 million price tag a tad bit steep, which is why Ed Woodward is reluctant to sanction a big-money move for him. Having said that, signing a reliable backup for Bruno Fernandes should be on the agenda for Manchester United. For now, it looks like Grealish could be staying at Aston Villa.
