Home » Jack Grealish price increase: have Manchester United missed the boat?

Jack Grealish price increase: have Manchester United missed the boat?

by Red Billy
Jack Grealish

As Aston Villa raise their asking price for talisman Jack Grealish to £100 million, Manchester United appear to have missed the boat on another transfer opportunity.

According to The Telegraph, ‘Villa had valued Grealish at around £70m after his first season back in the Premier League, but they did not receive a single serious bid for the 25 year-old and secured him to a new five-year contract.

‘With the security of that deal, together with his elevation into the England squad and the impact he is having on Premier League games, Villa now believe Grealish’s value has jumped up to at least £100m.’

Grealish was widely reported to be one of United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s summer transfer targets but the club believed he was overpriced and did not even try to negotiate.

Ultimately, though, executive vice chairman Ed Woodward shelled out £19 million plus £18.5 million in add-ons for 18-year-old Amad Diallo, who had played just 24 minutes of first team football for Atalanta and £10 million for another 18-year-old right winger, Facundo Pellistri.

It is another example of ‘you snooze, you lose’ for United’s negotiators, who in January passed up a chance to sign Norwegian wonderkid Erling Haaland for €20 million (£18m) because they refused to allow a €75 million (£67m) release clause in his contract.

Haaland, too, is now valued at over £100 million.

Woodward also famously refused to meet Leicester City’s £80 million valuation for Harry Maguire in 2018, only to backtrack and pay the same a year later.

They also refused to pay Sporting Lisbon €55 million (£49m) for Bruno Fernandes in the summer of 2019, only to pay the same for him at the end of the 2020 winter transfer window.

With Paul Pogba’s departure from the club looking increasingly likely, Grealish would have made an ideal replacement, but unlike Maguire and Fernandes, there will be no second bite at the cherry at the same price.

Edinson Cavani has made quite an impact since his deadline day arrival at Old Trafford, but how much do you know about our other South American players, past and present? Take our quiz below to find out!

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