Tottenham Reportedly Still Hopeful of Securing Jack Grealish Transfer

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly still hoping to strike a deal with Aston Villa for Jack Grealish before the transfer window closes.

According to James Nursey of the Daily Mirror, despite Villa recently undergoing a takeover, Spurs still think they can get Grealish in a £20 million transfer.

"Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino wants talented No. 10 Grealish to compete with Dele Alli behind Harry Kane in attack," Nursey wrote. "[Chairman] Daniel Levy had been holding off bidding as he was trying to exploit Villa's cash woes under Dr Tony Xia, which left the Championship club on the brink of administration."

As noted in the report, the financial stresses Villa have faced recently have been alleviated after Xia sold a majority stake in the Midlands club to billionaires Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens. 

Despite the takeover, Villa are said to still be under pressure to fall in line with financial fair play regulations and may have to sell players as a result. Grealish is the club's prize asset after he rediscovered his best form in the 2017-18 season.

The Villa Views Twitter account praised the player's talent earlier in July and admitted hopes of keeping the midfielder at the club weren't high:

Grealish has emerged from the Villa academy and made his senior debut for the team in 2014. While he showcased excellent early promise, the player's form has oscillated in recent years' He was also part of the squad that slumped from the Premier League to the Championship at the end of the 2015-16 season.

Since then, the 22-year-old has been on a steady path back towards his best, culminating in an excellent end to last season. His creativity and control in the final third were vital to Villa's run to the Championship play-off final, where the team lost to Fulham.

As noted by Seb Stafford-Bloor, if he did make the switch to Spurs, there would be a lot of pressure on Grealish to perform:

There's no doubt he has the talent. The Villa man glides across the pitch looking at ease in possession; on the ball, he can commit defenders and thread passes into dangerous areas.

There would be serious competition for places at Spurs, though, with Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura all vying for similar spots in the starting XI. 

However, Grealish did look a little too good for the Championship at times last season:

Tottenham supporters will be itching to see the club make their first major acquisition of the summer, as they seek to close the gap to Manchester City in the upcoming campaign.

While there have been some crucial contract extensions secured by the club in the summer, some fresh faces will really spark excitement for 2018-19.

For Grealish, it will be galling to leave Villa. However, Pochettino has done so much good work with a number of rising stars in the English game. At 22, it feels like the perfect time to make the switch to work under one of the world's best coaches.