In-demand Jack Grealish has a staggering £60million buy-out clause in his contract at Aston Villa.
The promotion-chasing Championship club have protected themselves against their captain leaving on the cheap this summer. And that sends a strong message to suitors such as Tottenham, who were baulking last term at paying £25m for the former England Under-21 midfielder.
Grealish agreed a fresh five-year deal last September as Villa's new owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens flexed their financial muscles.
The fact that the 23-year-old has a trigger in his contract has been known for some time. However, estimates of the figure involved have varied between £30m and £45m – and MirrorFootball understands the figure is way in excess of that.
Mauricio Pochettino sends message to Daniel Levy over Tottenham spending ahead of talks
Villa were so keen to see Grealish stay at the club he was also offered a huge pay-rise – more than trebling his money from £1m a year.
He now receives £70,000 a week, which makes him the highest paid player in the Championship.
Villa are gambling on their local-lad fan favourite firing them into the Premier League this term after losing the play-off final to Fulham a year ago and, thanks to a late surge up the table, their spot in the play-offs has been secured going into Sunday's season finale at home to already-promoted Norwich.
Jack Grealish transfer: Aston Villa boss Dean Smith braced for interest in captain
Should they not return to the top-flight this time after three years in the second tier, Grealish is likely to be sacrificed to help them stay within profit and sustainability rules. The club only just met its obligations this season — with a contribution from HS2, whose rail route cuts through Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training base — helping get them over the line.
Grealish played for the Republic of Ireland at every age-group level before switching allegiance to the country of his birth in 2015, but is yet to win his first Three Lions senior cap.
He has started 31 league games this season, scoring six goals and being named in the Championship's Team of the Year at the PFA awards last week.
