Manchester City have reportedly ramped up their bid to make Jack Grealish the first £100m English player prior to moving to sign Harry Kane for £150m.
With England captain Kane’s future currently dominating the headlines, his Three Lions teammate Grealish could soon be joining him at club level, too.
Despite winning their third Premier League title in five years under Pep Guardiola, the Spaniard is still looking to improve his squad - all while they prepare for Saturday’s all-English Champions League final against Chelsea.
As the Tottenham Hotspur skipper’s saga rumbles on ahead of EURO 2020, a player the Citizens may have less trouble securing the services of is Grealish, 25.
Neighbours Manchester United have been long-time reported admirers of the Villa Park talisman, but they look set to focus on signing Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho for a similar figure, according to The Sun.
£100m would make Grealish the most expensive English player of all time, and Kane could smash that figure soon after.
Harry Maguire currently tops the national chart, with an £80m price tag seeing him head to the red side of Manchester in 2019
With Phil Foden making himself a key cog in the Man City machine this season, we could be looking at an all-English first-choice frontline at the Etihad next term, as Sergio Aguero departs and Raheem Sterling (who himself at £57m broke the English record in 2015) remains on the books.
Is Jack Grealish worth £100m? Let us know in the comments section .
What does Guardiola think of Grealish?
In October 2019, fresh off the back of a 3-0 victory over Villa, Guardiola made clear his admiration for the star, whose formidable form helped his boyhood club remain in the top tier last year.
“He’s incredible; a top player. I’m happy he stayed in the Championship to defend his club when he could have gone,” said the Citizens boss.
“He’s a talented player who always creates something. [Grealish] is an exceptional player but too expensive for Manchester [City]!”
How that final line could all change very soon.
Later last season before the teams clashed in the Carabao Cup final, Guardiola said: “He’s an exceptional player, I didn't know him before I came here, he was playing in the Championship. Honestly, an exceptional player.
He continued: “[Villa] have one of the best players in the league in Jack Grealish. “I’m a big fan of him.”
On Kane, 27, City’s manager has remained coy, recently telling reporters following the news that the striker wanted out of Spurs: “He’s a player for Tottenham, it's not correct for me to talk about that.”
However, Guardiola did admit how much he would love a player who can guarantee goals, as City’s top Premier League marksman this past campaign was Ilkay Gundogan (13).
“When you go to win titles, especially the Premier League, with just one guy you won’t win it,” explained the three-time English crown winner.
“You need more and the statistics speak for themselves. You need three guys with more than ten, scoring 12 to 15, to be competitive.
“But when you have someone who can get 25 to 30 it helps a lot.”
