Champions League may ‘help’ Aston Villa secure Jack Grealish return after Manchester City update
It will be “down to Jack” Grealish this summer to decide whether a return to Aston Villa is possible if he leaves Manchester City, according to Alan Hutton.
Grealish left his boyhood club in 2021 to join the Premier League champions in a reported £100million transfer [Sky Sports, 6 August 2021] but has been in and out of Pep Guardiola’s side in recent months following the arrival of Jeremy Doku.
The England International has had a mixed third season at the Etihad Stadium, only starting 10 Premier League matches this term and reports have suggested City would consider selling him this summer if the right offer was made [Football Insider, 21 April].
While it remains to be seen whether or not Villa would be at all interested in re-signing their former talisman come the end of the season, Hutton admits Champions League qualification could help negotiations.
“Absolutely, I mean he’s a quality player,” Hutton told Villa News.
“I think everything will come down to what they value him at, his wages, is it actually true that he’s going to move on or is it just a rumour? There are a lot of things that go along with it, but he is a difference-maker.
“He’s played there before, he knows what it is all about because he’s grown up in the club. Of course, he still keeps in touch with people, so do I and I’ve been away since 2019 or whatever it was.
“He is always going to have that special connection with the club, getting the Champions League will help but it is going to be down to Jack.
“I’m not so sure what he’s got left on his contract there, but if he genuinely does want to move and I’m not so sure this could just be a rumour, does he make that squad better? Absolutely he does.”
Will Aston Villa sign Jack Grealish in the summer transfer window amid Manchester City exit rumours?
As Hutton suggests, this deal would be a no-brainer for Unai Emery and his recruitment team if the terms are reasonable because Grealish would help the Villans reach a new level as they prepare to compete in the Champions League.
The 28-year-old initially left Villa Park to play at the highest possible level and while he has won everything there is to win during his three-year stay in Manchester, he hasn’t been a regular starter week in and week out.
A return to Aston Villa would let him play in Europe’s premier competition whilst also featuring in each and every game. The caveat to that, however, will be the fact that he won’t necessarily be challenging for silverware.
Whether the Villans could even get a deal over the line with their current PSR concerns remains unclear so while this could be one to watch, it seems unlikely a deal will be struck.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery is ready to take Villa to the “next level” with a summer move for Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams
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