
Jack Grealish reveals the Premier League giant he “was really close” to joining before Manchester City move
Grealish breaks British transfer record
Manchester City broke the British transfer record in the summer when they splashed out 100 million pounds in order to bring Jack Grealish to the North West of England.
HE’S HERE!
We are delighted to announce the signing of @JackGrealish on a six-year deal.
Welcome to City, Jack! 💙
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/5Y3gMREmKL
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 5, 2021
While it has been a tough start to life in Manchester, his quality is undeniable, and he sat down with John Percy of the Telegraph in a wide-ranging interview.
Exclusive interview with @JackGrealish, the £100m @ManCity footballer ahead of his return to #avfc. His tears at leaving Villa & why he’ll always be a fan, Dean Smith, why he couldn’t turn down City, having “much more to give”, Pep & “unreal” João Cancelo https://t.co/WAWz2Et0Ma
— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) November 30, 2021
Of course, he is now a Citizen.
However, it could have been so different, with Manchester United coming calling for Grealish the season prior, ahead of the 2020-21 season. But how close did the deal get? As per Grealish himself, it was almost done:
“I was really close to going, but nothing happened in the end,” he says. “We played United in a pre-season game on Saturday and I wasn’t supposed to play in a cup game at Burton. But after the United game I said to Purslow and my agent ‘if I’m not leaving, I’ll sign my new contract’.
“I went in with my dog on Tuesday morning, signed the deal, and played later that day. We all agreed on the clause and if any team hit that, it’s a win-win because it means I’ve had an unbelievable season and Villa got £100million.”
Would he have improved their situation.
Ending his career with Villa?
Meanwhile, Aston Villa fans will love to hear the fact that Grealish wants to return to the midlands to finish his career with his boyhood club. The Manchester City man revealed:
“It’s a club that is so close to my heart and I definitely hope to go back there,”
“That’s always been in my mind. Ashley Young has done it and I want to do the same, 100 per cent.”
Will he get a warm reception from the Villa faithful?
Read more:
What Jack Grealish told Dean Smith after finding out he was being sacked
Barcelona told how much it will cost to sign Manchester City star who “wants to leave”
Manchester City betting odds, next game:
Manchester City’s latest videos

Extended Highlights | Man City 2-1 West Ham | Gundogan, Fernandinho, Lanzini & SNOW!
City had to battle a dogged West Ham and blizzard conditions to edge a…
2021-11-30T00:00:19Z

Victory in the snow! | City 2-1 West Ham | Man City Highlights | Gundogan & Fernandinho goals!
City had to battle a dogged West Ham and blizzard conditions to edge a…
2021-11-28T22:00:13Z
Manchester City latest news
Premier League table
# | Team | MP | D | P |
1 | Chelsea FC | 13 | 26 | 30 |
2 | Manchester City | 13 | 20 | 29 |
3 | Liverpool FC | 13 | 28 | 28 |
4 | West Ham United | 13 | 8 | 23 |
5 | Arsenal FC | 13 | -2 | 23 |
6 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 13 | 0 | 20 |
7 | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 | -6 | 19 |
8 | Manchester United | 13 | -1 | 18 |
9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 13 | -2 | 18 |
10 | Leicester City | 13 | -3 | 18 |
11 | Crystal Palace | 13 | 0 | 16 |
12 | Brentford FC | 13 | 0 | 16 |
13 | Aston Villa | 13 | -3 | 16 |
14 | Everton FC | 13 | -4 | 15 |
15 | Southampton FC | 13 | -7 | 14 |
16 | Watford FC | 13 | -6 | 13 |
17 | Leeds United | 13 | -8 | 12 |
18 | Burnley FC | 12 | -6 | 9 |
19 | Norwich City | 13 | -20 | 9 |
20 | Newcastle United | 13 | -14 | 6 |
Player | Team | Goals |
---|---|---|
Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 11 |
Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 9 |
Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 7 |
Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 7 |
Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
King, Joshua | Watford FC | 5 |
Cornet, Maxwel | Burnley FC | 5 |
Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 5 |
James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 4 |
Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 4 |
Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 4 |
Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 4 |
Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 4 |
Benteke, Christian | Crystal Palace | 4 |
Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 4 |
Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 |
Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 4 |
Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
---|---|---|---|
Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 6 |
Laporte, Aymeric | Manchester City | 1 | 5 |
Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 4 |
Ritchie, Matt | Newcastle United | 0 | 5 |
Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 5 |
Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 5 |
Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 5 |
Lascelles, Jamaal | Newcastle United | 0 | 5 |
Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 5 |
Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 5 |
Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 4 |
Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United | 0 | 4 |
McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 4 |
Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 4 |
Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 0 | 4 |
Canos, Sergi | Brentford FC | 0 | 4 |
Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 4 |
Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 4 |
Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 4 |
Normann, Mathias | Norwich City | 0 | 4 |
Player | Team | Assists |
---|---|---|
Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 8 |
Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 7 |
Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 5 |
Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 4 |
Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 4 |
Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 4 |
Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 3 |
Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 3 |
Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
Lowton, Matthew | Burnley FC | 3 |
Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 3 |
Ritchie, Matt | Newcastle United | 3 |
Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 3 |
Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 3 |
King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |