London (AFP) – Jack Grealish has reportedly completed his medical at Manchester City as the Aston Villa midfielder moves closer to joining the Premier League champions in a British record £100 million ($139 million) transfer.
Grealish was pictured being driven out of City’s Etihad training headquarters in a black van following his medical on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old will become the most expensive English player of all-time when City officially finalise the blockbuster swoop.
The fee will shatter the British record of £89 million paid by Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016.
City are reported to have activated a clause in Grealish’s contract that compelled Villa to accept their offer when it reached £100 million.
Grealish returned from holiday in Dubrovnik at the start of this week and resumed training while City hammered out the deal.
Having graduated from Villa’s youth academy, Grealish has spent his entire career at the club he supported as a boy, apart from a loan spell at Notts County in the 2013-14 season.
He has made 213 appearances for Villa since his debut in 2014, scoring 32 goals and laying on 43 assists.
Grealish, who has four years remaining on his Villa contract, scored six times in the league last season and provided 10 assists.
Grealish has never played in the Champions League and joining City will give him a chance to showcase his talents at the highest level.
The Villa captain’s four appearances for England during their run to the Euro 2020 final last month gave a glimpse of the quality that convinced City manager Pep Guardiola to make his move.
The deal will be a major statement of intent by City ahead of the new season.
Grealish’s ability to prise open defences will give Guardiola another weapon as City look to defend the title.
Guardiola already has Grealish’s England team-mates Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling in creative attacking roles, with Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez giving the City manager an embarrassment of riches in the final third.
City face Leicester in the Community Shield at Wembley on Saturday before starting their Premier League campaign against Tottenham on August 15.
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Roberto
August 6, 2021 at 8:49 am
If they had not already gone over their limit (and been penalized), Inter-Fort Lauderdale dreams would have been fulfilled!
Yespage
August 6, 2021 at 8:06 am
Surprising they didn’t drop Grealish like a hot potato. This mean Monaco and PSG are the only teams that can sign him, well Real Madrid and maybe Columbus Crew ;).
Roberto
August 6, 2021 at 7:43 am
Ra, somehow Man. City and PSG seem to be except from financial fair play. Must be that everyone is afraid of the oil despots.
Sure hope Leicester manage to pull off an Upset!
benfica 1968
August 5, 2021 at 9:32 pm
Where can we watch City and Grealish play Leicester without Fofana in the Charity Shield this weekend?
Christopher Harris
August 5, 2021 at 9:56 pm
Live on ESPN+
It’s listed on our Soccer TV Schedules App that’s available on iOS and Android 🙂
Ra
August 5, 2021 at 6:10 pm
Will this mean that signing Messi is off-limits now or do they still have leeway under UEFA’s financial fair play?
Roberto
August 5, 2021 at 3:32 pm
I would rather see Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea get sent down! Big money with little return.
Michael F
August 5, 2021 at 2:31 pm
@jason. Just curious… what do you have against those 3 clubs?
jason
August 5, 2021 at 12:40 pm
The transfer fee is insane. Worst thing is that Aston Villa is going to get all this cash now. No relegation for them I guess. Every year I hope Villa, West Ham, and Newcastle will get relegated.
Yespage
August 5, 2021 at 12:36 pm
Jack Grealish is worth 100 million pounds? I feel like I went back in time to when Liverpool was paying (well over paying) for young English talent.