Aston Villa head coach Steve Bruce has told Sky Sports that the club have no choice but to sell Jack Grealish.
Many were surprised that Villa were able to keep Grealish when they were first relegated from the Premier League back in 2016. But for two years they have kept the talented attacking midfielder and he has been a key player for them as they got so close to getting promoted back to the top tier of English football. But it appears like losing out on the play-off final against Fulham was the final straw.
Villa need to raise £40m to comply with Financial Fair Play restrictions after failing to get promoted and selling Grealish seems to be the easiest way to get a bulk of that money. Grealish is also keen to return to the Premier League as it will reignite his chances of getting into the England squad which is more appealing considering their recent form in the World Cup.
And his manager Steve Bruce has admitted Grealish will be leaving this summer. He said: “And it’s pretty brutal stuff out there. There will be nobody feeling sorry for Aston Villa because financially we have got ourselves in a bit of a pickle, so yes we have got to be ready for that.”
“I have enjoyed working with Jack, and Jack is the obvious one that clubs [are going to target] because he had a wonderful six months. He reminded everybody as a 22-year-old what a very good player he is. On another day at Wembley (Play-Off final versus Fulham) he could have scored one of the great Wembley goals.”
“He is a special talent, a real special talent, and yes, you don’t want to lose him but the inevitable thing is we have to. We have to – to keep the club up and running and keep it in line with Financial Fair Play.
