Jack Grealish makes final Man Utd transfer decision as Ed Woodward prepares £75m move

Jack Grealish is desperate to join Manchester United this summer and has decided to leave Aston Villa regardless of whether or not they avoid relegation from the Premier League, according to reports.

Grealish has emerged as one of United’s top targets ahead of the summer transfer window, with chief executive Ed Woodward and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer both keen to welcome the player to Old Trafford.

The 24-year-old has made 176 appearances for boyhood club Villa since breaking into the first-team in 2012, helping Dean Smith’s side secure promotion from the Championship last season.

Despite Villa’s struggles this term – the club are 19th in the table, two points adrift of safety ahead of the Premier League restart – Grealish has thrived, with his performances attracting substantial interest from United.

According to the Starsport, Grealish has his ‘heart set’ on a move to Manchester United and will leave Aston Villa this summer irrespective of their Premier League fate.

It is claimed Woodward is currently planning to enter into talks with Aston Villa over a £75m deal for Grealish, who will be offered a contract worth around £150,000-a-week at Old Trafford.

Manchester United have targeted a number of young and homegrown players since Solskjaer took over as manager and Woodward is said to view Grealish as a future Red Devils star.

Last week, Dimitar Berbatov warned his former club against signing Grealish or fellow midfielder Saul Niguez.

He told Betfair: ‘For me looking at the situation, Pogba is back, Fernandes is there, they have McTominay who needs to play regularly because he’s young and is doing so well, Mata is there, Matic is there who is great at what he does and to put one more in the mix is only okay if you are going to use them and have them playing regularly because that transfer will probably cost a lot of money.

‘In my opinion, I think they have enough quality in the team anyway, especially with Pogba coming back, but maybe Solskjaer has a different decision and he has decided that they need someone to strengthen there.

‘There have also been reports about United being interested in Jack Grealish, last week Sancho was their top target, this week it’s Grealish, next week it will be somebody else.

‘There are so many players associated with a move to United at the moment, it is a good thing I suppose and for the players it boost their reputation.

‘I can see Grealish being a better fit at United than someone else, he is used to the Premier League and he is producing great goals and assists.

‘But, he is similar to Fernandes, Pogba and Mata in a way and you don’t want too much similarity in your team.’

The 2019-20 Premier League season will resume on Wednesday night, with Manchester United facing Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham in their first game back on Friday.

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Source: Metro News UK