Chelsea Transfer News: Blues Must Continue Testing Jack Grealish's Villa Loyalty

Chelsea are reportedly lurking to take advantage of the contract situation of Aston Villa youngster Jack Grealish, and the Blues have to continue with their attempts to sign the highly touted Irishman.

According to the Daily Star's Adrian Kajumba, Grealish is yet to put pen to paper on a new deal that would replace his current contract, set to expire in the summer of 2015. The 18-year-old winger is reportedly keen to stay in Birmingham, but the finances involved could complicate matters.

Villa are offering Grealish a new salary of £5,000/week, per Kajumba, well below what the Blues could potentially offer in a transfer or on the open market.

The Irish U21 international grew up supporting Villa and understandably wants to make his mark at the club, but in 2014, money often has a way of swaying players.

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Grealish has long been touted as one of the finest talents in all of England, steadily rising through the ranks at Aston Villa and spending the bulk of the 2013-14 season out on loan with Notts County. Now back in Birmingham, his start to the 2014-15 Premier League season has been beyond impressive.

His fame proceeds him, as evidenced by the way Hull City treated him in Villa's final match before the international break, via this fan:

Despite his slender fame, Grealish got up every time. His willingness to prove himself on the highest level is more than just admirable—Grealish combines world-class potential with the kind of blue-collar mentality that is often rare in modern footballers.

He's eligible to represent both England and Ireland, choosing the latter for his youth career. In a recent match against Germany's U21s, he made quite the impression on WhoScored.com's Martin Laurence:

Grealish is bursting with potential, to the point where Shay Given is convinced he could already represent Ireland's senior squad, per The Score:

"

He’s a big talent.

I think he’s meeting up with the U21s this week. I think the key is not to put too much pressure on him. I think himself and his dad are going to be making that decision over the next couple of months.

Ideally we’d like him straight away because I feel he’s good enough to play straight away because he’s a real talented player. Hopefully we can keep him in the green jersey.

"

Every top club in the Premier League wants a piece of Grealish, whose top mentality and status as a home-grown player would quickly endear him to the fans. Chelsea won't be the only club lining up for his services—expect the rest of the title contenders to start doing the same very soon.

Neutral fans would want nothing more than for Grealish to choose his boyhood club. It would be the kind of feel-good story we don't often see anymore, and there's no denying that one or two more seasons with the Lions would do wonders for his development.

But that doesn't mean the Blues shouldn't try. Grealish is simply too talented to pass up the opportunity to sign him now. With Villa desperate to keep hold of their young star, the possibility of a sign-and-loan deal could provide the perfect alternative if the two parties can't come to an agreement on a new contract.

And by continuing to press for Grealish, the chances of him demanding a higher salary will only increase. It's not pretty, but the Blues should hardly care for that.

For the sake of his development, Grealish should still be in the claret and blue in 12 months' time, and perhaps even longer.

But if Chelsea can achieve that while locking him up to a deal that ensures his future lies at Stamford Bridge, it would present a massive coup for the Blues.

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