London (AFP) – Jack Grealish has reportedly completed his medical at Manchester City as the Aston Villa midfielder moves closer to joining the Premier League champions in a British record £100 million ($139 million) transfer.
Grealish was pictured being driven out of City’s Etihad training headquarters in a black van following his medical on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old will become the most expensive English player of all-time when City officially finalise the blockbuster swoop.
The fee will shatter the British record of £89 million paid by Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016.
City are reported to have activated a clause in Grealish’s contract that compelled Villa to accept their offer when it reached £100 million.
Grealish returned from holiday in Dubrovnik at the start of this week and resumed training while City hammered out the deal.
Having graduated from Villa’s youth academy, Grealish has spent his entire career at the club he supported as a boy, apart from a loan spell at Notts County in the 2013-14 season.
He has made 213 appearances for Villa since his debut in 2014, scoring 32 goals and laying on 43 assists.
Grealish, who has four years remaining on his Villa contract, scored six times in the league last season and provided 10 assists.
Grealish has never played in the Champions League and joining City will give him a chance to showcase his talents at the highest level.
The Villa captain’s four appearances for England during their run to the Euro 2020 final last month gave a glimpse of the quality that convinced City manager Pep Guardiola to make his move.
The deal will be a major statement of intent by City ahead of the new season.
Grealish’s ability to prise open defences will give Guardiola another weapon as City look to defend the title.
Guardiola already has Grealish’s England team-mates Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling in creative attacking roles, with Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez giving the City manager an embarrassment of riches in the final third.
City face Leicester in the Community Shield at Wembley on Saturday before starting their Premier League campaign against Tottenham on August 15.
