Jack Grealish Completes British-Record £100 Million Move From Aston Villa To Man City

Manchester City have completed the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for a British-record fee of £100 million.

Jul 30, 2024; Orlando, FL, USA; Manchester City midfielder Jack Grealish (10) controls the ball from Barcelona defender Hector Fort (20) in the first half during a Champions Tour friendly match at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

This article is part of the Sports Illustrated archive. The date on this page does not represent the date when the original article was published (Aug 5, 2021).

After several weeks of negotiations and media speculation, Grealish has finally put pen to paper on a mammoth deal, that sees the 25 year-old become the most expensive player in Premier League history.

The English top-flight champions have splashed a remarkable £100 million on the England international, which eclipses the £89 million that cross-town rivals Manchester United paid for Paul Pogba in 2016. 

Grealish has signed a six-year deal at the Etihad Stadium, which will see him remain at the club until the summer of 2027 at the earliest, while the player is expected to earn a weekly wage in excess of £200,000.

City manager Pep Guardiola is known to be a huge admirer of Grealish, with the Catalan's admiration of the player also in turn mirrored by the midfielder towards his new head coach at the Etihad Stadium.

The prospect of playing in the Champions League for the very first time under one of the best-ever managers in the game, alongside some of the best players in the world, was understandably a key temptation for Grealish when deciding whether to leave his boyhood club.

Earlier in the summer, it was reported that the Aston Villa academy graduate watched City's youngster Phil Foden shining in the club's Champions League quarter-final victory with Borussia Dortmund back in May, and in that moment, knew he wanted to take the next step in his career.

Speaking to the official club website upon signing his Manchester City contract, Jack Grealish explained: "I am incredibly happy to have joined Manchester City. City are the best team in the country with a manager considered to be the best in the world – it’s a dream come true to be part of this club."

Equally capable of operating from the wing or in central midfield, Guardiola will be delighted to acquire a player with such versatility, with Grealish netting six times and providing 12 assists during the 2020/21 campaign.

Grealish has also been vocal in the past about City star Kevin De Bruyne being one of his footballing heroes, and so it will now be a dream for the Birmingham-born midfielder to line up with the Belgian star in the upcoming season.

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