Sky Sports pundit claims he would be prepared to pay £120-130m for Aston Villa star – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish has had a fantastic season with the West Midlands club so far and pundit Paul Merson believes but Barcelona should look to sign the England international at the end of this season.
The Sky Sports pundit also claimed that he would pay £120-130 million for Grealish if he was a manager at a top club.
He said (via Birmingham Mail): “I think that much of him and I think he is one of the best around.
“I think if I’m a manager at one of the big boys and no disrespect to Villa here but if you’re looking to go through your career and try and win something I’m looking at £120 or 130 million for him I would pay.
“I watched Barcelona the other night get ripped to shreds, if I’m Barcelona I’m buying him tomorrow morning it doesn’t matter how much it is. I’m buying Grealish because Grealish at the Nou Camp would absolutely rip it up.”
The Aston Villa star has seven goals and 12 assists to his name so far this season and he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the Premier League right now.
A player of his calibre deserves to play in the Champions League and it will be interesting to see if Villa can hold on to him beyond this season.
He has been heavily linked with a move away from the club in the past but a move to Barcelona might not be on the cards just yet.
The Spanish outfit are going through a financial crisis right now and they might not be able to afford Villa’s asking price for Grealish even if they were interested in the player.
Villa are currently in the race for European qualification this season and it remains to be seen whether Grealish can help them sustain that push and bring European football back to Villa Park next year.
It would be a tremendous achievement for the midfielder and Dean Smith.
The fans will certainly be hoping that the club can hold on to the 25-year-old for as long as possible but the reality is that the club will have to match his ambitions and build a trophy-winning side to hold on to elite talents like Grealish.