Aston Villa may have missed out on a return to the Premier League but Jack Grealish could yet get there for next season.
The fear for any side relegated from the Premier League is that if they don't get back within a season they could be in the Championship, or worse, for a long time.
Villa missed out on that speedy return to the top flight, last weekend, when they lost the Championship final to Fulham. Within days of that 1-0 defeat, it was confirmed that John Terry would be moving on.
Premier League clubs will now be looking at that Villa squad and the club will have a fierce task to hold onto their top talents. Their priority would be to keep Grealish for at least another season.
https://twitter.com/JackGrealish1/status/1000700890221809667
The 22-year-old made 31 appearances [22 starts] for Villa last season and chipped in with three goals and six assists. He finished the season strongly and was a key figure in getting Villa to that final in Wembley.
On Wednesday, Grealish appeared in the pages of
The Sun as a reported transfer target of Manchester United.
If that appeared outlandish to some, similar stories of a United interest have since surfaced from
The Star,
Express and
Sky Sports. Jose Mourinho's side are not the only ones reported to be monitoring the midfielder, and former Ireland underage player.
Tottenham are also said to have sent scouts to watch Grealish in action for Villa while Leicester City are thought to be keen on making him a summer signing. Leicester may lose Riyad Mahrez to Manchester City over the summer, for £60m, but will be afforded funds to bring in new faces.
Grealish has two years left on his Villa contract so the club,
it is claimed, have valued him at £40m. Should they lose one of their top talents, there will at least be some decent compensation.
