Manchester United May Not Sign Grealish, Who Helped Aston Villa Escape Premier League Relegation: Report

Manchester United reportedly may backout from signing Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish during the ongoing summer transfer window.

Grealish, who has been a vital part of Aston Villa this season, scored in his side's 1-1 draw against West Ham. It was their final match of the 2019-20 season and the result ensured 'The Lions' were staying in the Premier League next season.

It is known that Grealish, along with Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, has been Man Utd’s top target this summer.

According to a report in the English publication Metro, Man Utd are not willing to meet Aston Villa's demands of $96 million for their skipper and the Red Devils will back out of the deal if the Midlands club does not reduce the transfer fee.

It is understood that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been monitoring Grealish for about 18 months now and the Norwegian manager has been impressed with the way Grealish took Aston Villa’s survival responsibility solely on his shoulders.

Grealish first impressed Solskjaer after scoring at Old Trafford when Man Utd hosted Aston Villa in their Premier League first leg in December 2019. In fact, Solskjaer wanted to sign Grealish during the January transfer window before The Red Devils signed Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon. The decision, however, paid off wonderfully for the 20-time league champions as the Portuguese went on to be a key part of the Man Utd team that finished third in the Premier League table.

The report by Metro revealed further that Man Utd are yet to submit an official offer for Grealish but they have mentioned their opening bid of $57 million along with a series of add-ons that would eventually take the offer to $70 million. However, Aston Villa are expected to reject the opening bid straight away as they now believe their survival in the Premier League has given them an upper hand in Grealish’s transfer negotiations.

Grealish scored nine goals in 40 competitive appearances for Aston Villa in the 2019-20 season, which also saw them qualify for the League Cup’s final. They lost the match to Manchester City 2-1 at the iconic Wembley Stadium.