Aston Villa have reportedly opened contract talks with Jack Grealish amid intense speculation of an incoming bid from Man City this summer.
It was reported by talkSPORT on Friday morning that a deal between the two clubs was ‘as good as done’, with Grealish being linked with a £100m move to the Etihad.
READ MORE: Five reasons why Jack Grealish isn’t leaving Aston Villa this summer
Naturally, that would have created concern amongst Villa fans over a possible exit this summer, while Dean Smith will no doubt be desperate to continue to build around our talisman in the summer transfer window and plan to have him lead our charge next season rather than have to replace him.
As per The Athletic, earlier reports appear to have been wide of the mark as it’s suggested that City are certainly interested in the Villa captain, but they have yet to make a bid and will likely do so after the conclusion of the European Championship this summer.
It’s added that Villa are determined to keep Grealish at the club, and so time will tell if they can successfully fend off City this summer and keep Grealish for another year at least.
According to the Express and Star, Villa have already started talks with the 25-year-old over a new contract which are said to have begun last week, despite the fact that a new deal was agreed only last September which committed him to the club for another five years.
The report goes on to insist that Villa can expect a bid from City after Euro 2020, but their stance is that they want to keep Grealish and have been planning their transfer strategy around him still being here.
Time will tell how the situation plays out later this summer, but it appears as though reports that a move could be imminent are certainly not accurate, but Villa do seemingly face a battle to keep Grealish amid Man City interest and will hope that he commits to a new contract and is convinced that the best move for his career at this stage is to stay with his boyhood club.
One thing that is for certain is that Villa will put up a fight to keep him, and the owners expect to see their ambition matched on the pitch next season as we hope to break into the top six and qualify for Europe.