Pep Guardiola wants Jack Grealish at Man City – spoken to De Bruyne about his qualities | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has reportedly told Manchester City that he wants the club to make a move for Aston Villa and England star Jack Grealish, and has labelled the 25-year-old as a ‘top target‘ for his planned summer rebuild, according to the latest claims.

The midfield star has seen a meteoric rise over the past 24 months, following Villa’s promotion to the Premier League. It was widely reported last summer that city rivals Manchester United were chasing the player’s signature, however seemed put off by his £70 million price tag.

However, if that valuation seemingly put off potential suitors, the latest reports suggest that it has increased substantially – despite the Covid-19 hit market.

According to an exclusive report from the Independent, Pep Guardiola wants to sign Grealish – a player that he is a ‘huge admirer of‘, and someone who he sees as a ‘highly buyable player‘ who can also restore a spark to Manchester City’s play.

So much is the interest in the player that Pep Guardiola has reportedly already discussed the 25-year-old’s quality with current club captain Kevin De Bruyne – who has recently described the England international as a player City must try and sign.

However, one major stumbling block in any potential move could be the price tag slapped on the player by his current club. Jack Grealish recently signed a new five-year deal at Villa Park, and according to the Independent, that involves an agreement that he cannot leave the club for less than £100 million – a fee that would smash the current transfer record at the Etihad Stadium.

It has been previously reported that those close to the player believe it is only a matter of time before he does make the step up to a big six – whether that is in the Premier League, or possibly a major club in Europe. The Independent do state that Manchester City – and specifically Pep Guardiola – are currently ‘the most intent‘ on his signature.

Previous reporting from David Ornstein of the Athletic had highlighted that Manchester City were ‘huge admirers‘ of Grealish during the summer transfer market, however he ‘wasn’t on their agenda‘ at the time. That looks to have changed, possibly due to the recent stagnating and struggling form in the Premier League, that has seen City fall into the bottom-half of the table and score the same amount of goals as Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored for Everton.

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