Jack Grealish

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Manchester United to 'prioritise summer move for Jack Grealish' with fellow midfield target James Maddison set to sign new Leicester contract

* Manchester United are set to make Jack Grealish their No 1 transfer target
* The 25-year-old Grealish has enjoyed an exceptional season at Aston Villa
* James Maddison appears increasingly likely to stay put at Leicester

Manchester United will reportedly make Jack Grealish their No 1 transfer target in the summer with James Maddison set to stay at Leicester.

Grealish has been exceptional for Aston Villa this season, spearheading the side into the Carabao Cup final and contributing nine goals and five assists.

He will be a wanted man in the summer whatever Villa's Premier League fate, and United are paying close attention, according to The Mirror.


Jack Grealish has been identified as Manchester United's No 1 transfer target this summer. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope the 25-year-old can lift the club after a turbulent season. Grealish has been in exceptional form and helped Villa reach the final of the Carabao Cup

United see the 24-year-old as an exciting talent who could give Old Trafford a huge lift after what is proving to be a turbulent campaign.

A number of clubs are believed to be keeping tabs on Grealish, who came close to joining Tottenham almost two years ago.

The prospect of Grealish moving to United follows the likelihood of his close friend Maddison rebuffing offers from top clubs to commit his future to Leicester.

He had been strongly linked with a move to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side but now sees his future better suited under Brendan Rodgers.

Maddison is expected to claim a hefty increase on his £55,000-a-week deal at the King Power with talks set to take place over the winter break.

He has made huge strides since joining from Norwich in 2018 and earned his first senior England cap last November.

Grealish however outshone Maddison when the two went toe-to-toe in the Carabao Cup semi-finals last month.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7966481/Manchester-United-prioritise-summer-Jack-Grealish.html

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'Think of Eric Cantona... he fits that bill': Neil Warnock urges Manchester United to 'pay the money' and sign Jack Grealish as he compares him to one of Old Trafford's ultimate legends

* Manchester United are among the clubs keeping tabs on Jack Grealish
* The playmaker has been brilliant for Aston Villa in their fight to avoid relegation
* Villa captain has also led his side to the Carabao Cup final at Wembley in March

Neil Warnock has implored Manchester United to sign Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish – believing he has an aura similar to Red Devils legend Eric Cantona.

Grealish has lit up the Premier League this season in a struggling Villa team, scoring seven goals and providing five assists in the top flight. He also has led Dean Smith's side to the Carabao Cup final on March 1 – where they will face Manchester City in the Wembley showpiece.

United are among the clubs who have been keeping tabs on the 24-year-old playmaker and Warnock believes he would fit the bill at Old Trafford – just like Cantona did during the 1990s.


Neil Warnock has called on Manchester United to sign Aston Villa star Jack Grealish. Grealish has been brilliant for Villa, scoring seven goals with five assists in the Premier League

'Man United are in a situation where they should just pay the money shouldn't they, now,' he told talkSPORT.

'I think he would be a great acquisition for them. I think he's made-to-measure like that.

'I don't want you to use it sillily [sic] but you know when you think of Cantona and people like that who just have something magical.

'He just fits that bill as a young one, doesn't he and I think he would be a great signing.'

Warnock knows Grealish well having faced him many times before during his managerial stint at Cardiff City. And the 71-year-old is effusive in his praise for Grealish's development over the past two years.


Warnock was speaking to talkSPORT on Wednesday on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show

'I've got to say in the past when when we've played him I've not worried too much about Jack,' he continued.

'We've man-marked him and we've done something different and we've said 'oh he will just give it away this time'.

'But I think he has matured and in the last 18 months to two years he's matured beyond all recognition.

'And I think he has got better and I because he is a bit of a flamboyant player managers think twice about that in a team situation.

'But I think now he has got everything.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7970701/Neil-Warnock-urges-Manchester-United-sign-Jack-Grealish-compares-Eric-Cantona.html

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Manchester United 'emerge as Jack Grealish's preferred summer move' ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid, with the Englishman open to an emotional Aston Villa departure

* Jack Grealish is open to quitting his boyhood club Aston Villa in the summer
* The Villa captain has impressed for the relegation battlers this season
* Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona are interested in the midfielder
* Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have emerged as Grealish's preferred option

Manchester United have emerged as the preferred summer transfer for Jack Grealish, with the Aston Villa captain now open to an emotional departure from his boyhood club.

Grealish's seven goals and five assists in the Premier League this season for relegation battling Villa have ramped-up interest from Europe's elite, with Manchester United making the Englishman their number one target for the summer.

The midfielder was not interested in a January transfer, preferring to stay and help his beloved Villa fight against a return to the Championship.


Jack Grealish is now open to a Manchester United move from Aston Villa in the summer. The Villa skipper has attracted attention from Europe's elite for his performances this season. The midfielder wanted to help his boyhood club fight relegation rather than move in January

However, Grealish is now more open than ever to a move, with Manchester United his preferred destination according to the Sun.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have emerged as alternative transfers, with both Spanish giants impressed by Grealish's performances.

United have already bolstered their midfield creativity after signing Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon, and Grealish's driving impact could bring their lacklustre midfield to life.


Villa hover above the relegation zone, and have a strong enough chance of survival

His departure will be an emotional one, after the 24-year-old was at the heart of Villa's return to the Premier League last season.

Grealish has 173 appearances for the first-team after graduating from the academy, and will edge towards the 200 mark amid a nerve-wracking relegation scrap.

Villa are floating one point above the drop zone in 17th, with places 15th to 19th separated by just three points.

Injuries to key men have made the task even more challenging, but having a player with enough quality to attract interest from the likes of Barcelona could be the difference-maker.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7982377/Manchester-United-Real-Madrid-Barcelona-alert-Jack-Grealish-ready-quit-Aston-Villa.html

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Jack Grealish has come a long way from booze and hippy crack controversies to show he's a natural entertainer on the pitch... it's little wonder Man United have made the Aston Villa star their No 1 summer target but how would he fit in there?

* Man United 'will prioritise a summer move for Aston Villa star Jack Grealish'
* 24-year-old is enjoying an outstanding season despite Villa's relegation fight
* Grealish has scored nine goals and supplied seven assists so far this campaign
* He is in line for a first England call-up and could make the Euro 2020 squad
* Grealish likes to entertain and would appear to be a good fit at Old Trafford
* Buying him would fit in with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's strategy at United

After such an outstanding season for Aston Villa, there's every chance Jack Grealish will be spending the first part of his summer with England at Euro 2020.

But that could well prove just the start of the off-season fun and games for the 24-year-old star. He may find any summer holiday he's planned interrupted by his agent on the other end of the phone.

With reports that Manchester United have made Grealish their No 1 target for the summer window, and interest from other clubs inevitable, we could already have a transfer saga brewing.


Aston Villa star Jack Grealish is Manchester United's top transfer target for the summer. Grealish is playing an integral role in Villa's efforts to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reshaping his United team and seems to picked Grealish as the next piece of the jigsaw

Grealish could easily have moved last month but was never going to abandon his boyhood club Villa in the midst of a relegation fight.

But the summer will be different. Grealish may be contracted to Villa until 2023 but the prospects of him moving on this summer are increasing with every twinkle-toed contribution and crucial winning goal.

Grealish reportedly has a release clause of £45million in his contract, well within the budget of United and other leading clubs both in the Premier League and Europe.

If Grealish can win a place in Gareth Southgate's team at the Euros and make a good impression, there won't be any shortage of enquiries.

His loyalty to Villa, the club he joined as a six-year-old, is beyond question but it feels like the right time for him to move onwards and upwards regardless of whether they stay in the top-flight or suffer relegation.

Grealish certainly fits the profile of player United are trying to sign as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues his pain-staking rebuild of a squad that was becoming stale.


Grealish helped Dean Smith's Villa side return to the Premier League and is still excelling

He's still relatively young and United should get the best years of his career. He would still have substantial resale value if he moves on in a few years, though this won't be of too much concern for United right now.

But above all else, Grealish is an exciting player, a born entertainer who will lift bums off seats at Old Trafford.

Neil Warnock said last month that Grealish would 'strut' like Eric Cantona in a United shirt and it isn't difficult to picture him making magical contributions in a red shirt with his chest puffed out and socks rolled down as always.

United have long lacked creativity in advanced areas and often struggle when confronted with massed defences. It explains their decision to spend a potential £68m on Bruno Fernandes and Grealish could be the next piece of the jigsaw.

Grealish has come a long way now from the carefree lad who always seemed to attract headlines for all the wrong reasons a few years back.

In the summer of 2015, aged 19, he was pictured sprawled on the street, apparently drunk and surrounded by cigarette packets, during a holiday to Tenerife.

That was just weeks after the teenager had been instrumental in helping Villa reach the FA Cup final, including an outstanding performance in the semi-final win over Liverpool at Wembley.

It came after pictured emerged of Grealish inhaling 'Hippy Crack' from balloons at a party. There was another laughing gas incident in September 2016 during a raucous party in a Birmingham hotel that followed a drab 0-0 draw with Ipswich.

Villa fans and the nation at large feared Grealish might squander his immense talent, but he has matured and put these youthful high jinks behind him to realise his potential on the pitch.

A life-threatening kidney injury, caused by a challenge by former team-mate Tom Cleverley that caused five hours of internal bleeding and led to four months on the sidelines, proved a turning point.

'I'm a big believer that everything happens for a reason. I came back from that injury a different person,' Grealish said.

It showed on the pitch, with Grealish in excellent form as Villa reached the Championship play-off final in 2018, only to lose to Fulham.

And he kicked his performances up another gear last season as Villa did make it back to the Premier League, beating Derby at Wembley.

It was no coincidence that Villa went on a club record 10-match winning run, propelling them from the mediocrity of 11th place to a play-off spot, after Grealish returned from a shin injury to be handed the captain's armband by Dean Smith.


It wasn't to be for Grealish and Villa in 2018 as they lost the play-off final against Fulham. But 12 months on and it was a different story as Villa beat Derby to return to the top-flight

In all, Grealish scored six goals and contributed eight assists during the promotion season, but an incident in the derby with Birmingham City at St Andrew's showed how much he had matured.

City fan Paul Mitchell ran on the pitch and punched Grealish in the back of the head. Instead of reacting, Grealish kept his composure and went on to score the only goal of the game.

Any concerns Grealish might not be as effective in the Premier League have been comprehensively dispelled this season.

His nine goals and seven assists are a crucial reason why Villa are just outside the relegation zone and not stranded in it. They've also reached the final of the Carabao Cup, where Manchester City await them.

Grealish has scored important goals both home and away against Brighton, in the win at Burnley and in the 2-2 draw with United at Old Trafford in early December.


In a possible taste of things to come, Grealish scored for Villa at Old Trafford in December

And there will undoubtedly be more to come. Indeed, the clamour for Grealish to be picked by Southgate for the next England squad is becoming deafening.

After England won the tug-of-war for his international allegiance against the Republic of Ireland, it's taken regular performances of quality in the Premier League for Grealish to be considered.

He should certainly get a first cap and a chance to show what he can do in the March friendlies against Italy and Denmark with a view to being included in the Euro 2020 squad.

But if that move to Old Trafford does come off, where would Grealish fit in?

United have just signed Fernandes to play in the No 10 role, a position the versatile Grealish sometimes occupies. So more likely, he will play on the left of the three in Solskjaer's favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.


His latest achievement was to lead Villa to the final of the Carabao Cup after beating Leicester

This could spell bad news for Anthony Martial because surely Marcus Rashford will be chosen to play as the centre forward, leaving room for Grealish to do his thing on the left.

United may well be able to offer Grealish a first taste of European football when negotiations open, but given their form that is far from a certainty.

That leaves them open to being gazumped by rivals but there's no doubt United looks a good fit for Grealish. After all, they have a fine legacy for players who love to entertain.

How Grealish could fit into the United side for next season

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-7968881/Would-Jack-Grealish-success-Manchester-United-Old-Trafford-club-make-No-1-target.html

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Manchester United ramp up interest in Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish with Red Devils 'keen on agreeing £45m deal THIS WEEK' to stop fee rising after Euros

* Red Devils hope to bag the 24-year-old playmaker early in the summer window
* But they reportedly want to 'execute' a deal in February to avoid his price rising
* Grealish is expected to make his England debut this year and be part of the Euros
* It would see his valuation skyrocket, which Man United are reportedly aware of

Manchester United have ramped up their interest in Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish and are 'keen on agreeing terms this month' to stop his fee rising after Euro 2020.

The Red Devils hope to bag the 24-year-old playmaker early in the summer transfer window, but want to 'execute' a deal in February.

Grealish is expected to make his England debut this year and could be a part of Gareth Southgate's Euro squad.

It would see his valuation skyrocket, which United are aware of according to the MEN.

The Premier League giants will need to trigger the Villa captain's release clause - reportedly £45million - to get him before his contract ends in 2023.

Grealish is understood to often party in Manchester as a change from his home city of Birmingham.

It comes after it emerged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was reportedly looking to sign Grealish and James Maddison this summer for a combined £160m.

The United manager is looking for fresh attacking options following a tricky season which currently sees the Red Devils outside the top-four in the Premier League.


Manchester United have ramped up their interest in Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes to bag the 24-year-old early in the summer transfer window

As a result, the Sun reported Solskjaer will target Grealish and Leicester City's Maddison and was hopeful their close relationship would work in his favour.

The report says the Red Devils could splash the cash on the pair if they offload Paul Pogba, who has not played since December due to injury.

Pogba will just have one more year left to run on his current Old Trafford deal in the summer but United do have the option to extend it by a further year.

United will do so to ensure they can get around the £150m mark for their star man - with both Real Madrid and Juventus big admirers.

Solskjaer would be given the go-ahead to pursue Grealish and Maddison if they sell the Frenchman.

The pair were pictured in Dubai recently alongside Leicester left back Ben Chilwell as they enjoyed downtime during the winter break.

They also posed for pictures with music artist and Manchester United supporter Stormzy.

Grealish has been a linchpin for Villa this season, as they battle to avoid the drop.

He has been at the club he supports since the age of six, but may need to move to guarantee Premier League football and get a place in the England set up.

Maddison, meanwhile, has flourished for Leicester in the top-flight since his move from Norwich in the summer of 2018.

The 23-year-old has played an integral part in the Foxes' stellar season, scoring six league goals and working well with Premier League top scorer Jamie Vardy.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8043825/Man-United-ramp-Aston-Villa-ace-Jack-Grealish.html

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Manchester United 'willing to pay up to £70m' to land Jack Grealish as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer steps up pursuit of Aston Villa captain

* Manchester United are preparing to pay up to £70million for Jack Grealish
* The Aston Villa captain is enjoying the season of his life for his boyhood club
* United are long-time admirers of the Englishman and are ready to make a bid
* Grealish has three years left on his deal and there is no buyout clause included

Manchester United are willing to pay £70million to secure the signing of Jack Grealish with the Aston Villa captain a man in demand this summer, according to reports.

Grealish has enjoyed the best season of his career on his Premier League return with boyhood club Villa, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists in 31 games this campaign.

That sort of form has alerted a host of clubs, including United, who are keen to land the 24-year-old come the end of the season.

And according to The Mirror, the Old Trafford club are prepared to pay up to £70million to get their man.

Grealish's current contract with Villa expires in 2023 and, due to there being no buy-out clause inserted, Villa are seemingly in a strong position to negotiate the fee they desire.

Should Dean Smith's side suffer relegation, though, Villa may not be able to command such a high fee for their star man.


Manchester United are reportedly prepared to pay up to £70million to sign Jack Grealish. The Aston Villa captain is in the form of his career and has captured the attention of United. he Old Trafford club are readying themselves to make a move for Grealish this summer

United had gone in for Grealish seven years ago when they tried to steal a march on Villa before the 24-year-old signed professional terms with the west Midlands club.

The Englishman's £60,000-a-week wage is surely going to receive a significant boost should he join United, with the report suggesting that he would rake in three-times that sum.

Grealish featured for Villa on Monday night as they lost 4-0 against local rivals Leicester.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8093731/Manchester-United-willing-pay-70million-land-Jack-Grealish.html

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Jack Grealish 'leapfrogs past Jadon Sancho as Manchester United's No 1 summer transfer target' with Borussia Dortmund 'unwilling to lower £100m asking price for England star'

* Jack Grealish is at the top of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's summer transfer wishlist
* A move for the Villa captain is being prioritised over a move for Jadon Sancho
* The Red Devils are reluctant to meet Dortmund's £100m asking price for Sancho
* United are now reportedly weighing up a £80m move for Villa skipper Grealish

Jack Grealish is at the top of Manchester United's summer transfer target, with the Red Devils prioritising a move for the Aston Villa captain over Jadon Sancho, according to reports.

United believe Grealish can play a vital role in helping Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team challenge for titles having impressed at Villa Park this season.

According to the Mirror, senior figures at Old Trafford are now weighing up an £80million move for the 24-year-old and hope that it will be enough to tempt Villa into parting ways with their talented playmaker.

Grealish put the move in doubt at the end of March after flouting government lockdown rules to attend a late-night party at the flat of former team-mate Ross McCormack, before he crashed his Range Rover shortly after.

Grealish was fined £150,000 for his actions and was forced to make a grovelling apology – just hours after he failed to heed his own advice about staying indoors before he apologised for his 'stupidity'.

However, Grealish's lack of discipline and off-field antics have not discouraged United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from pressing ahead with the move.

The report goes on to suggest that United officials have cooled their interest in England starlet Sancho for the time being with Borussia Dortmund are unwilling to lower their £100m asking price.


Aston Villa star Jack Grealish is at the top of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's summer transfer wishlist. Solskjaer believes Grealish could play a vital role in getting United back to the big time. A move for the Villa captain is being prioritised over a move for Dortmund's Jadon Sancho

That kind of outlay is becoming increasingly difficult for United to justify, with the club not able to stump up that kind of cash for a player they already have alternatives to.

The Bundesliga side are also happy to hold on to one of their prized assets for another season, despite rumoured interest from Real Madrid.

Zinedine Zidane's outfit reportedly cannot afford to splash the cash on Sancho in a few months but it is unquestionable that the England international is on the radar as the Frenchman looks to overhaul his attacking options.

Sancho has underlined his quality once again this season with an incredible 17 goals and 17 assists in 28 Bundesliga games for Dortmund – including a hat-trick in the 6-1 victory last weekend at Paderborn.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8395565/Jack-Grealish-leapfrogs-Jadon-Sancho-Manchester-Uniteds-No-1-summer-transfer-target.html

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Manchester United 'will step up their chase' for £75m Jack Grealish after being told Jadon Sancho won't be leaving Borussia Dortmund in summer

* Dortmund have insisted that £100million-rated Jadon Sancho won't be leaving
* It means Manchester United will concentrate energies on signing Jack Grealish
* Midfielder has been on their target list for some time along with Sancho
* Grealish is enjoying an excellent season despite Villa's battle against relegation

Manchester United will reportedly step up their chase for £75million Jack Grealish after being told Jadon Sancho won't be leaving Borussia Dortmund this summer.

England winger Sancho, valued at in £100m or more, had been United's primary target for when this summer's transfer window opened.

But, according to The Mirror, Sancho will only sign for the Old Trafford club if they secure Champions League football for next season.

And in the meantime, United will concentrate on signing Aston Villa midfielder Grealish, who has been on their list of targets for over a year.

Dortmund insist that Sancho, 20, will remain with them for another year despite interest from United, Manchester City and Chelsea.

Dortmund director Sebastian Kehl said on Saturday that they are planning for Sancho to be with them next season. 'There is nothing new on this topic [a move],' he said.


Manchester United 'will turn their attentions' to signing Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish. It comes after Borussia Dortmund insisted once again that £100m-rated Sancho isn't for sale. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking to add to his attacking options in the summer. Grealish has enjoyed an outstanding season with Villa despite their battle against relegation

'Of course there have been a few themes with Jadon in the last few weeks. We've cleared all that up. At the moment we're working on the assumption that Jadon will be with Borussia Dortmund next season. Regarding the rumours, I can say that there is nothing to it.'

Grealish, 24, is believed to want to leave Villa after this season regardless of whether the club are relegated from the Premier League.

He has enjoyed an excellent season on Villa's top-flight return and helped them reach the final of the Carabao Cup, playing himself into England contention.

Grealish fits the profile of the young and talented players favoured by United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8421079/Man-United-step-chase-75m-Jack-Grealish-Jadon-Sancho-news.html

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Aston Villa put £80m asking price on captain Jack Grealish with Manchester United leading the race for his signature

* Aston Villa hope to keep Jack Grealish should they remain in the Premier League
* Grealish has been linked with Man United but Villa will demand at least £80m
* Villa will resume their relegation battle against Sheffield United on Wednesday

Aston Villa will demand at least £80million for Jack Grealish during the transfer window and have not given up hope of keeping their captain if they avoid the drop.

Grealish is high on Manchester United's list of targets thanks to his excellent form this season, with seven goals and six assists in the Premier League to keep Villa in the hunt for survival.

Although United admire Grealish, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has warned that it is unrealistic to think transfer fees will remain as high as before following the coronavirus pandemic.

Woodward was referring specifically to the £200m it would take for United to prise Harry Kane away from Tottenham or the £100m Borussia Dortmund want for Jadon Sancho, but he would also expect Grealish's valuation to come down as well.

However, United eventually agreed to pay £80m for Maguire – a world-record fee for a defender – when Leicester City stood strong last summer, and Villa will be hopeful of getting the maximum price for Grealish if a similar scenario develops when the transfer window re-opens.

Villa will restart the season against Sheffield United on Wednesday, knowing a win will lift them out of the bottom three at least until the weekend.


Aston Villa will demand at least £80million for Jack Grealish during the transfer window. Skipper Grealish is high on Manchester United 's list of targets thanks to his excellent form. Villa have not given up hope of keeping their captain if they avoid relegation to Championship

If they can remain above the line, Villa's owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, have the financial clout not to need to compromise on Grealish's valuation.

Grealish has proved that he belongs among the elite this season and, should Villa be relegated, it seems unlikely that he would spend another season in the Championship.

The 24-year-old homegrown star's career goals include forcing his way into the England squad and playing in the Champions League.

United's interest in Grealish did not wane when the playmaker was caught breaking lockdown guidelines in March. Grealish donated his fine of two weeks' wages – about £180,000 – to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Speaking publicly for the first time about the incident, Villa boss Dean Smith said: 'I was disappointed. He made a mistake, he has been reprimanded and he will have learned from the mistake as well.

'I spoke to him at the time. I was disappointed with him but I was also disappointed for him. But the character of Jack is to learn from this mistake and he will be a better player and a better person for it.'

Meanwhile, Smith hopes Villa will conclude short-term loan extensions for midfielder Danny Drinkwater and goalkeeper Pepe Reina, with both deals currently due to expire on June 30.

Drinkwater joined Villa on loan from Chelsea in January when his season-long arrangement with Burnley was cancelled, but then put his future in doubt through a training-ground bust-up with Villa team-mate Jota in March.

Smith added: 'I am keen for both of them to stay. We are allowed bigger squads now and a bigger subs bench. I am keen to have as many as I can.

'There was an incident on the training ground that I wasn't happy with. It's been sorted and Danny got reprimanded. It will be nothing more than what goes on at every other training ground.

'He's worked very hard during the lockdown period to build up his fitness because he needed to make sure that he got up to speed.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8428717/Aston-Villa-80m-asking-price-captain-Jack-Grealish.html

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Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish has some work to do to carry his side over the line in their survival fight and prove to Manchester United he would be £80m well spent

* Grealish made his first appearance since flouting the lockdown guidelines
* He showed off new hairstyle with a blonde plait snaking back from his forehead
* Villa captain was at the heart of his side's best moves against Sheffield United

Before Jack Grealish concerns himself with whether Manchester United will fork out £80million to lure him up the M6, the Aston Villa captain has a few, more immediate spending concerns.

First, a penny for the thoughts of Gareth Southgate – to find out what could separate him from a regular England place ahead of the postponed European Championships.

And then some small change for any self-respecting barber to do away with the blonde plait snaking back from his forehead.

It’s some look. And one that, in this era of social distancing, proves Premier League footballers are just like the rest of us, after all.

What use is £90,000-a-week if you're no dab-hand with clippers?

So gone are the flopping locks of life before lockdown. And gone could be Villa's hopes of survival unless Grealish and Co find something more in their final nine games.

There is no disgrace in a draw against Chris Wilder's Champions League-chasing Sheffield United.


Jack Grealish made his first appearance since flouting the lockdown guidelines. The Villa captain was at the heart of his side's best moves against Sheffield United. Captain Jack has done more than anyone to drag Villa back among the big boys this season

But nor was there much here from Villa to suggest that the next few weeks will be anything but a grim battle for every point.

After all, some things never change - even in this age of football’s ‘new-normal’.

It took less than 45 minutes of Project Restart for more controversy over technology, while Grealish’s low-cut socks have survived coronavirus protocols, too.

But Villa's frailties remain and so, it appears, does their reliance on Captain Jack.

Though Dean Smith shuffled his pack, bringing back the fit-again John McGinn and handing a first Premier League start to striker Keinan Davis, it was Grealish who remained at the heart of their forward play. It was Grealish who popped up between the lines to knit Villa’s play together and it was from Grealish’s corner that Davis wasted an early headed chance.

By half-time, though, the home side had little to show for their efforts. Instead, only a technological malfunction ensured they remained on terms.

And if Villa's desperate plight is going to end in anything but relegation, they will need more from everyone - including their captain.

No one can deny that Grealish has earned his iconic status in these parts. He has done more than anyone to drag Villa back among the big boys.

But still he has some making up to do. After all, this was Grealish's first public appearance since he was caught flouting lockdown regulations.

It was a bad look for him and his club. To his credit, Grealish donated the fine of two weeks' wages – about £180,000 – to Birmingham Children's Hospital.

The best way to repay that debt, though, is on the pitch. The only way to right that wrong will be to carry his side over the line.

Whatever happens over the next few weeks, it won't be for want of trying. Midway through the first half Grealish was slumped on the advertising hoardings, earning a much-needed breather. And as ever, against Sheffield United, he drifted inside, he came short, he came looking for the ball and the chance to influence the game.

Shortly before the hour mark, Grealish picked up possession inside his own half and drove forward, before feeding Anwar El Ghazi for another spurned opportunity.

Moments later McGinn forced a good save from Dean Henderson after more trickery from his captain.

It's no surprise he has more goals (nine) and more assists (eight) than any of his team-mates.

But the very best players deliver when it matters most and, after this, Grealish has nine more chances to be a hero.

To prove to United he would still be money well-spent, even in this age of tighter belts and plaited hair.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8432993/Grealish-work-carry-Villa-line-prove-Man-United-worth-80m.html