£20m transfer tussle is great news for Aston Villa’s striker chase

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Aston Villa have a stern task ahead of them if Steve Bruce is to guide the club back into the Championship and keeping Jack Grealish is a tough ask.

The Villans will have to adhere to Financial Fair Play regulations and it has been stated throughout the summer that the club will listen to offers for a number of players as a result, with Bruce telling Sky Sports last month that departures were inevitable – which may include Grealish.

22-year-old Grealish is a player that could earn Aston Villa a lot of money in the market, although it will be difficult to earn that £40m figure that The Daily Star has stated Villa value the England U21 international at.

While that fee is unrealistic, Villa will be encouraged by reports from The Sun that indicate Chelsea are ready to enter the market for Grealish’s services – which is likely to lead to a transfer tussle with Tottenham Hotspur and may provide the breakthrough for negotiations in the club’s hunt for a new striker.

Mauricio Pochettino is yet to make any signings for Spurs this summer and losing out on Grealish, who the Lilywhites have been linked with for a while, would be a bitter blow ahead of the new Premier League season.

“There are going to be people that I do not want to sell – and the obvious one is Jack – but people will know that we have got financial problems and they’ll sit and wait, and wait, till Deadline Day possibly. I hope that doesn’t happen but we’ve got to baton down the hatches and wait for it.”

– Bruce is poised for late swoops for Grealish.

Villa hold all the trump cards in negotiations as the transfer market enter it’s final weeks before the deadline next Thursday and keeping Grealish would provide a huge boost for their attempts to seal promotion back to the Premier League.

However, cash-strapped Villa are yet to make any permanent acquisitions this summer and could use the money from Grealish’s sale to significantly bolster their ranks – and discussing a deal with Chelsea may open the door for a move for Tammy Abraham.

The Daily Mail states Villa are keen to sign the two-cap England international on-loan, although Abraham would prefer to stay in the Premier League after spending last year with relegated Swansea City, although suitors for a striker who scored five times last term are lacking.

While Abraham lost his scoring touch last season, a superb start to the season saw him hit four goals in eight matches, earning a spot in Gareth Southgate’s senior squad, before an injury setback derailed his charge in south Wales.

20-year-old Abraham has experience of tearing the Championship apart following his time with Bristol City, where he scored 23 goals in 41 appearances during the 2016-17 season.