Sky Sports News reports that Leicester City could bid £40million for Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish. Foxes star man Riyad Mahrez is said to be closing in on a move to Premier League champions Manchester City, and Claude Puel is hunting potential replacements.
Villa are still hurting over defeat in the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final to Fulham last weekend. The club are bracing themselves for a summer of change, which has already began following the department of captain John Terry. Grealish is clearly a man in-demand, but the club must decide if they want to cash in, or keep him to try and maintain a push for the Premier League once more.
It has also been mentioned that Jose Mourinho is also a fan of the 22-year-old, and Manchester United may be pondering a move of their own as they look to close the gap on their city rivals in challenging for the Premier League title.
With it being reported that Aston Villa need to recoup at least £40million in player sales this summer to keep in line with Financial Fair Play regulations, selling Grealish outright puts those fears to bed for another season at least. However, he is without doubt their best player, and losing him weakens them heavily, and is certainly not easily replaced. Grealish himself is a fan of the club, and would find it hard to move on, but may find the Premier League too hard to resist.
Villa won’t sell for anything less than £40million, and Leicester may be willing to meet that, assuming Mahrez does indeed link up with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
