Manchester City signs Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for UK record

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3:40 p.m. ET

  • Rob dawsonCorresponding

Manchester City have announced the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa, breaking the UK transfer record in a £ 100million deal, the club announced on Thursday.

Grealish is leaving his childhood club Villa after making 213 appearances and scoring 32 goals since making his senior debut in 2014.

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“I have been at Aston Villa for 19 years and have been a fan my whole life”, Grealish wrote in a statement. “I rose through the ranks and brought the club back to the highest level of English football.

“It is impossible to express my feelings in words, but I will try. When I arrived at Villa for the first time, I had my own dreams and ambitions, like being part of the first team, scoring my first goal and score the winner in a derby. It wasn’t until we were relegated that I felt a greater sense of purpose.

“Every time I put on the Villa jersey I played with my heart on my sleeve. Receiving the armband was both a privilege and an honor for me and my family and I loved every minute of it.

“I want to thank the manager and my teammates, I will never forget everything we have accomplished together … and to the fans who have supported me through it all, I cannot thank you enough.

“To all of my coaches and to all of the people who work at the club behind the scenes and have done so much for me over the years, thank you.

“I will always be a Villa fan – I love this club with all my heart and hope you will understand my reasons for looking for a new challenge. The club is in good hands, the manager, the guys, the new recruits coming up – it’s an exciting time to be a Villa fan. I will see you all again soon. Until next time. “

This will be the second time City have held the UK transfer record, joining Robinho’s arrival from Real Madrid in 2008.

Speaking to City TV, Grealish added: “There are obviously a lot of reasons why I decided to come here, obviously the manager was a huge factor in that. Playing under the best manager in the world was something that I couldn’t really refuse.

“Competing for major trophies is something I wanted to do, and it was something that, at the end of the day, I couldn’t refuse. “

Manchester United have held the British transfer record seven times in the Premier League, and he has also been held twice by Chelsea.

Sources told ESPN that Villa offered their captain Grealish a dramatically improved deal to stay at Villa Park, but the 25-year-old chose to join City due to the lure of top trophies and football. regular in the Champions League.

City initially offered a deal that included £ 90million in transfer fees and winger Morgan Rogers – who is valued at £ 10million – but a direct cash offer of £ 100million sparked a release clause in Grealish’s contract.

After making Grealish their first signing of the summer, City remain keen to sign Tottenham Hotspur forward Harry Kane.

Kane wants to move to the Etihad, but Spurs are adamant that he is not for sale. Sources told ESPN that City believe they can fund deals for Grealish and Kane this summer through player sales.

City have raised £ 109million from sales since the start of the pandemic and could raise an additional £ 50million this summer, even without the departure of a first-team player.

Villa has been active in the transfer market this window, signing winger Leon Bailly from Bayer Leverkusen. Norwich winger Emiliano Buendia and Southampton striker Danny Ings.



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