We like Jack Grealish. He is a very talented player with a unique style, character, and he would complement this Manchester United team very well.
His versatility to play centrally or wide left means could slot in for either Bruno Fernandes or Marcus Rashford when United rotate, and finding a player who can adapt seamlessly to both roles is not easy.
Grealish’s ability to draw fouls could be deadly if playing alongside set piece specialist Fernandes too.
But at a reported price of £80 million, Manchester United have to walk away from this one.
Grealish fears likely to be true
The Times report Grealish fears Aston Villa’s £80 million asking price will prompt United to walk away. He is right to be concerned.
Grealish is talented but he is not worth £80 million. His true valuation may be around just half that amount.
United would be paying a British premium, while from Villa’s perspective, they know how lost they would be without him, so he risks being stuck in the same way Wilfried Zaha has been at Crystal Palace.
Grealish helped Aston Villa escape relegation on the final day of the season, and this gives the Midlands club the financial power to hold firm and demand a big fee.
At United, Grealish would not be a regular starter. He would be a rotational option. And no club in the world can justify spending £80 million on a squad player.
Find alternatives
Manchester United’s number one priority will be winger Jadon Sancho. Now he is a player who will improve our first XI and is worth shelling out for.
How much money is available for Grealish will depend after that, and Aston Villa may not like it.
There could be a compromise later in the window at £60 million, but Grealish will not sully his reputation at his boyhood club and go on strike to sulk and force a move.
So United need alternatives, and should be ready to move on them sooner rather than later.
One such player is Ajax’s Donny van de Beek, who can play as a Fernandes back-up, along with other deeper midfield positions.
He cannot play wide left like Grealish, but in a central role he may be even better than the Villa man, and is likely to be available at half the price, The Times reports.
£80 million is just too much for Grealish, and not a single Manchester United supporter will blame the club for walking away at this excessive demand.
While this remains Villa’s asking price, United’s decision is a very easy one.
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